- 0-20%: Unlikely – Lacks credible sources
- 21-40%: Questionable – Some concerns remain
- 41-60%: Plausible – Reasonable evidence
- 61-80%: Probable – Strong evidence
- 81-100%: Highly Likely – Multiple reliable sources
Korea’s Chosun, the largest-circulation newspaper in the country, <a href="https://www.chosun.com/economy/tech_it/2026/09/02/WQKDSTTU4FAAHDYZFT6MX4GUVQ/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>reports a shocking story today: NEXON is allegedly attempting to purchase the entire StarCraft franchise from Blizzard.
It has been known, albeit unofficially, that NEXON is working on a new shooter game set in the StarCraft universe, to be unveiled in just a couple of weeks at BlizzCon 2026. But that was under the assumption Blizzard was merely going to license it out for a special occasion, not sell the IP outright.
A contract between Nexon and Blizzard regarding the StarCraft IP is on the verge of being finalized. I understand that once this contract is completed, Nexon will hold the development rights for a sequel to the existing StarCraft.
StarCraft is more than just a game in Korea. The original 1998 release became a “national game,” spawning televised leagues like the Ongamenet Starleague that ran for 13 years and turned pro gamers into national celebrities. StarCraft II inherited that legacy: the Global StarCraft II League, running continuously in Korea since 2010, became the sport’s most prestigious individual tournament, and Korean players have claimed roughly 70% of all prize money ever awarded in the game’s pro tournaments.
Still, Blizzard, according to recent reports, is doing well and doesn’t seem to be in any need of cash. Of course, any decision regarding the purported offer would ultimately be in the hands of Microsoft‘s Xbox, which purchased Blizzard alongside Activision a few years ago. And that’s where things really get interesting, because new Chief Executive Officer Asha Sharma has been blunt about the division’s need to return to profit on the mandate of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Part of that strategy is a renewed focus on the biggest, most profitable franchises, such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Halo, Gears of War, Warcraft, et cetera. StarCraft, as historic as it may be, definitely does not meet the criteria to enter this privileged group: it’s been sixteen years since Blizzard released Wings of Liberty, and at any rate, the strategy genre is way more niche than what Xbox is targeting right now.
So, Sharma might think that with Blizzard literally not doing anything with it, Xbox might as well sell the franchise, given that there’s a very interested party. In fact, it could turn out to be a positive for gamers, too, who have long been clamoring to see new StarCraft titles made.
Would you approve of such a deal? Let us know by voting in the poll and commenting below.
Would you be alright with NEXON getting the StarCraft IP from Blizzard?
- Sure, at least they’ll do something new with it
- No, it should stay with Blizzard
- I don’t really care
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief.
In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech’s gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews.
Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications.
His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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