Blizzard reportedly cancels unannounced first-person StarCraft shooter Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Blizzard reportedly cancels unannounced first-person StarCraft shooter To focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. News by Matt Wales Reporter Updated on 6 Jun 2019 37 comments According to reports, Blizzard has cancelled an unannounced StarCraft-themed first-person shooter that had been in development for the past two years - so that it can focus its efforts on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. The news comes via a report by Kotaku's Jason Schreier, whose sources claim that Blizzard's unannounced project, codenamed Ares, was "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe". Early development prototypes were reportedly "looking quite good", with players taking on the role of a Terran marine in a battle against Zerg forces. Ares is said to have entered production back in 2017, with Heroes of the Storm director and StarCraft II lead designer Dustin Browder heading up development. Following queries from Kotaku regarding Ares, Blizzard responded more generally, saying that it "always [has] people working on different ideas behind the scenes - including on multiple projects right now". It also noted that "as has been the case...numerous times in the past, there is always the possibility that we'll make the decision to not move forward on a given project." That, obviously, is what happened here, with Kotaku's sources claiming that the decision to cease work on Ares (and an unannounced mobile game) was made several weeks ago, so that staff could be shifted to Blizzard's higher-priority projects - namely Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Both of these are expected to have a major presence at this year's BlizzCon. As an aside, Schreier also shares word that Overwatch 2 will feature a "large PvE" element, with Blizzard sources apparently comparing it to Valve's classic co-op shooter Left4Dead. Of course, as StarCraft fans of a certain age will remember all-too vividly, Ares isn't the first shooter set in Blizzard's sci-fi universe to meet a premature end. Console spin-off StarCraft: Ghost was cancelled in 2006, four years after it was first revealed to the world. Blizzard would later explain that it opted to cease development in order to move staff to World of Warcraft, which was enjoying enormous success at the time. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 5 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store