StarCraft 2 is arguably one of the greatest and most influential strategy games ever made. As the long-awaited sequel to the groundbreaking 1998 RTS StarCraft, expectations were sky-high for StarCraft 2‘s release in the summer of 2010.
Not only did StarCraft 2 go on to become one of the best-selling PC games of all time at over 6 million lifetime copies, but it successful carried the StarCraft esports torch for over a decade and counting. StarCraft 2‘s enduring popularity as an esport is directly tied to key decisions Blizzard made during its lengthy development cycle.
Specifically, Blizzard‘s choice to assign part of the StarCraft team to immediately begin work on a new IP while the rest continued supporting the brood war expansion for the original StarCraft greatly contributed to StarCraft 2‘s future esports success.
Splitting the StarCraft Team Mid-Development
StarCraft 2 spent over 5 years in active development at Blizzard Entertainment, an extremely long time by gaming industry standards. During this extended production cycle, Blizzard made the strategic decision somewhere around 2004-2005 to split up the StarCraft team.
A portion of the developers shifted over to begin work on Blizzard‘s next big project – what would eventually launch in 2016 as the global phenomenon Overwatch. This subteam consisted of around 30 developers, including many programmers and designers integral to the original StarCraft.
Meanwhile, a smaller portion of the veteran StarCraft talent remained laser-focused on finishing the StarCraft 2 trilogy. This group numbered around 15-20 developers tasked with bringing the sequel over the finish line.
On the surface, allocating manpower away from your still-in-development AAA tentpole franchise seems counterintuitive. However, this calculated risk enabled Blizzard to bridge the financial gap between the original StarCraft and its sequel.
Keeping the Lights On
The primary motivation for splitting the StarCraft team was maintaining a steady revenue stream for Blizzard while StarCraft 2 finished baking in the oven. The back half of StarCraft 2‘s development coincided with the peak of StarCraft esports mania in South Korea.
StarCraft was an absolute cultural sensation in South Korea from roughly 2002-2011. Cable TV channels dedicated exclusively to broadcasting competitive StarCraft matches popped up to feed ravenous viewer demand. Top professional StarCraft players like Boxer and Jaedong attained popularity comparable to K-pop music icons.
Most crucially, the StarCraft esports explosion translated into heaps of money flowing into Blizzard‘s coffers. Estimates peg overall South Korean StarCraft sales figures at over 4.5 million copies from 1998-2007. Tack on lucrative sponsorships and media licensing surrounding these beloved StarCraft leagues.
By dedicating resources to pump out the expansion Brood War in 1998 followed by modest support patches, Blizzard bought themselves over half a decade of profitable StarCraft revenue (over $100 million estimated) to fund StarCraft 2‘s drawn-out creation. Gamers got more quality StarCraft content, while Blizzard avoided cash flow issues between mainline releases.
Hitting the Ground Running
When StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty finally launched in July 2010, the hunger for more StarCraft amongst fans and pro players was palpable. After over 10 long years of story continuity blue-balls, players yearned to reconnect with beloved heroes like Jim Raynor and Kerrigan. The weighty expectations stemming from such a wait could have easily overwhelmed a less capable game.
However, StarCraft 2 managed to instantly meet and even exceed expectations both commercially AND critically. The first 48 hours of availability saw over 1.5 million sales for Wings of Liberty – over $100 million in revenue right out of the gate. Positive critical reception followed on the heels of this sales juggernaut. Early reviews consistently pegged StarCraft 2 at the higher end of critic aggregate sites:
StarCraft 2 certainly benefited from following in the footsteps of previous beloved Blizzard entertainment smashes like Warcraft and the original StarCraft. Yet StarCraft 2 enhanced the RTS formula substantially based on its own merits.
Gameplay advances like smarter pathfinding and elegant worker rally point UI improved on previous conventions, while staying true to what made StarCraft special. Players both green and seasoned felt the perfect balance between nostalgia and progression. Familiar, frantic strategic showdowns ensued between iconic factions like the scrappy Terrans, monstrous Zerg swarms, and hyper-advanced Protoss.
An Esport Evolved
Core gameplay refinements certainly accounted for some of StarCraft 2‘s mainstream breakout success. However, where StarCraft 2 truly revolutionized itself over the 1998 original was the finesse and foresight built specifically to accommodate competitive esports.
Blizzard identified during StarCraft 2‘s 5+ year production cycle that the rapid growth of live streaming technology and content delivery systems was priming esports for an explosive boom in popularity. Years before Twitch popularized gaming live streams to broad audiences, Blizzard retooled core StarCraft 2 components with tournament-friendly high-level competition expressly in mind.
This prescience paid off massively, as StarCraft 2 cemented itself as THE premiere Esport RTS franchise globally for over an entire decade. Viewership records toppled yearly as slickly produced WCS (World Championship Series) StarCraft 2 tournaments kept attracting bigger crowds. By 2012, over $5 million in prizes had already been awarded. By 2021, total tournament winnings for professional StarCraft 2 players eclipsed an astounding $100 million.
!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<t.length;r++){if(t[r].contentWindow===e.source)t[r].style.height=e.data["datawrapper-height"][a]+"px"}}}))}();
But even these staggering financial figures don‘t fully encapsulate StarCraft 2‘s full impact as an entertainment product. Specific game design elements maximized spectator engagement from the ground up in ways previously unseen in competitive gaming.
Catering to the Audience
Take the in-game observer mode tools for example. Baked directly into StarCraft 2, these monitoring options gave tournament organizers easy camera control over matches to showcase battles and flashpoints tailored to audience understanding and excitement.
Previously tournament directors put commentators in the awkward position of rapidly clicking around a match themselves without much context while attempting analysis for the stream. Now with robust observer functionality, camera operators could silently feed commentators only the juiciest engagements to dissect for viewers.
Production value consequently soared thanks to factors like picture-in-picture (showing 2 player camera angles simultaneously) and interface options designed for broadcast. Cleaner streams broadcast more detailed matches for fans to appreciate and digest.
Even subtler enhancements substantially upgraded the viewer experience, such as team-colored iterations of every unit. At a quick glance, observers could immediately identify army compositions even amidst chaotic skirmishes thanks to easy visual shorthand.
Supporting the Pros
And StarCraft 2 provided tools for the pros themselves to achieve awesome performances worth watching in the first place. Tournament replays shipped included in StarCraft 2 gave pros ample match footage for meticulous opponent research.
The fully-featured map editor also enabled players to craft their own custom training missions. Pros developed maps specifically to drill high-level skills like precise unit control that delivered an edge during competition. Some pros even produced their own mini-games and match scenarios just for a bit of fun!
Of course, the true engine behind StarCraft 2‘s excellence as an esport lies within the immaculate game balance and strategic diversity inherent on ladder and tournaments.
GameplayDepth Delivers
StarCraft 2 perfected aggressive, defensive, tricky, greedy, early-game, late-game, and every style in-between across skill levels thanks to immaculate design. Varied talent thrived through a near-endless array of strategies across 9+ years of evolving expansion content.
However, maintaining this strategic balance long-term took dedicated upkeep. Blizzard developers monitored the competitive scene daily, collecting player feedback to implement frequent balance updates. Edits as granular as tiny unit stat nudges kept unfolding new dynamic matchups for players/viewers of all types to enjoy.
And I haven‘t even touched on furiously fun team league formats pitting elite pro team houses against one another! But that alone could span multiple articles…
On every front, StarCraft 2 set the gold standard for gaming that entertains both the eSports competitor and eSports consumer alike.
Later Blizzard productions like Overwatch and Hearthstone adapted and expanded on many fan/viewer-friendly innovations pioneered by StarCraft 2‘s runaway success. However, nearly 20 years hence, no competitive title from ANY publisher has matched StarCraft 2‘s sprawl and sustainability.
And Korea certainly hasn‘t forgotten – StarCraft 2 remains a staple into 2023 for many Korean cable providers and streamers!
An Enduring Esports Empire
Back during StarCraft 2‘s launch window over 10 years ago, no one could have possibly predicted this type of staying power. But thanks to Blizzard‘s veteran leadership keeping part of its A-team fixed on StarCraft during the uncertainty of the mid 2000s, StarCraft 2 took flight esports-wise.
Let‘s examine the absurd degree of this sustained success in numbers:
!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<t.length;r++){if(t[r].contentWindow===e.source)t[r].style.height=e.data["datawrapper-height"][a]+"px"}}}))}();
The above Twitch viewership graph compares hours watched over the past decade between StarCraft 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and DOTA 2 – 4 of esports heaviest hitters.
StarCraft 2 predates all of these rival titles, yet still manages greater than or close to parity in viewership even 10 years later. The competitive RTS space simply does not fatigue the same way for participants and spectators alike.
And thanks to a near-perfect balance of entertainment value for both players AND viewers built straight into SC2‘s DNA, I‘d expect StarCraft 2 to continue clinging to relevancy for at least another 5+ years.
Especially considering unparalleled legacy names like soO, Rogue and Maru continue dazzling the StarCraft scene in the back half of their careers, hungry upstart talent arises every season. Veterans ride off slowly into the sunset while hungry rookies jostle to establish their name by toppling established champions in thrilling battles.
This consistent injection of rising talent trying to craft their own "bonjwa" (unbeatable dynasty God)-like storylines keeps StarCraft 2 narratives evergreen and enthralling well past a typical esport lifespan.
A Recipe for Franchise Success
Very rarely in entertainment does content resonate across mediums AND demographics to such an extreme degree as StarCraft 2. Its firm foothold embedded in both casual and hardcore gaming culture worldwide looks settled in for the considerable future.
StarCraft 2 serves as the foremost case study for designers seeking to craft a game tailor-made for competitive multiplayer excellence and sustainability from the outset. Core tenants like:
- Elegant visual direction evolution coupled with retained aesthetic identity from previous franchise entries
- Approachable mechanical layers welcoming to new players without compromising strategic depth pleasing the hardcore
- Multi-pronged revenue streams (box sales, expansions, cosmetics, etc.) incentivizing long-term developer support
- Structured gameplay scaffolding able to facilitate dynamic skill expression as the playerbase matures
- Flowing community communication channels between the creators and their competitive gaming ambassadors
These backbones formulated within StarCraft 2 catapulted the title lightyears past its contemporaries in almost every category metric from longevity to financials.
Later Blizzard productions oozing DNA leftover from StarCraft 2‘s resounding success litter today‘s gaming landscape. The most prominent hat tips include:
Overwatch (Launch 2016) – Ambitious attempt to repeat StarCraft 2‘s esports success formula in the team FPS genre. Thriving initial competitive scene, but facing adversity maintaining audience interest long-term.
Hearthstone (Launch 2014) – Polished online CCG battler taking cues from StarCraft 2‘s flair as an entertainment product. Massive initial growth faltered recently struggling to keep card balance innovation engaging for viewers.
StarCraft 2‘s epoch-defining impact on developers and players alike cannot be overstated. And thanks to Blizzard‘s shrewd staffing workaround stabilizing cash flow between StarCraft eras, StarCraft 2 earned its intergalactic wings enroute to becoming an all-time esports hall of famer.