Nexon Is Reportedly Looking to Own the Rights of the StarCraft from Blizzard and Xbox

Rumors of a new StarCraft installment have been circulating for a while now, with speculation it could even be announced at BlizzCon 2026 next week. A new report also suggests the franchise's rights might be changing hands entirely.

South Korean outlet Chosun published an exclusive report claiming Nexon, one of the world's biggest game publishers, is in talks with Xbox/Blizzard to acquire the rights to StarCraft. According to the outlet, negotiations are currently in their final stages, and once the deal closes, Nexon would begin work on StarCraft III.

RUMOR: Nexon is reportedly very close to finalizing a deal with Blizzard to develop a new StarCraft game.

The agreement could grant them the rights to develop a successor to the franchise.

Despite the report suggesting the deal is close, neither Microsoft nor Blizzard has commented on any potential sale, so this should still be treated as a rumor for now. That's especially true given that Blizzard was recently named Xbox's most profitable studio, making it seem unlikely Microsoft would willingly give up a franchise with this much fan loyalty and revenue potential. That said, StarCraft holds a genuinely special place in South Korea, and a franchise return there could reignite a lot of interest, especially since the last release was StarCraft: Remastered back in 2017.

As for the rumored new StarCraft game itself, former Far Cry developer Dan Hay is claimed to be leading development, with the title reportedly running on Unreal Engine 5 and featuring an open world. Earlier insider reports also suggested it will lean more cinematic, closer in tone to StarCraft II than to Overwatch 2.