Just as E3 2011 kicked off earlier this morning with Microsoft's pre-show press conference, rumors surrounding a StarCraft-themed MMOG sparked up once again thanks to GameFront. According to an unnamed insider, the MMOG will be separate from the Titan MMOG project already listed on Blizzard's post-Diablo 3 roadmap.
"Given the popularity of the StarCraft universe, the immediate reaction to the World of StarCraft mod, and factoring in an aging World of Warcraft, Blizzard has been put into a position where an SC MMO would be too financially lucrative to pass up," the insider claims.
The source also stated that Activision is "committed to enhancing shareholder value through residual monthly fees." The company has already set its sights on a subscription service for the upcoming game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Called "Call of Duty Elite," this exclusive club will offer bonus content not available on game discs or typical updates, and additional tools.
Back in January, Blizzard forced World of StarCraft creator Ryan Winzen to change the StarCraft 2 mod's name because the company already owned the rights to the title. "I am fully respectful of Blizzard's Intellectual Property, and they DO in fact own a copyright on "World of Starcraft" and have EVERY RIGHT to do what they did," Winzen said. "If I want to continue this project I'm at the mercy of Blizzard's good graces since they OWN it all."
Right now Titan is supposedly Blizzard's next big thing once Diablo 3 is out the door.
"The thing that we hope will happen is that it [Titan] will not stop World of Warcraft but we believe will eclipse it," Blizzard COO Paul Sams told Gamasutra. "We're very confident in that product. It's an awesome one. We're playing it already. It is a total ball to play. We think that the reach of that product is greater than anything that we've done before. We're very excited about that. I believe that it's the type of game that will have a very long life, much like World of Warcraft has."
Blizzard has previously stated that Titan is not a StarCraft MMOG, and GameFront's insider is now backing up that claim. Of course, the StarCraft MMOG will remain as mere rumor until someone slips up and spills the goods much like Titan was a rumor until it was shown on a leaked roadmap. And while it's possible we'll see something about Titan at BlizzCon 2011 later this year, the speculated StarCraft MMOG may not show its face for quite some time.
Do we really want a StarCraft MMOG? Yes we do. Now.
