StarCraft Remastered rumored to be coming this summer

A rumor went up last year that an HD update of Blizzard's great sci-fi RTS StarCraft was in the works and would be announced in September of 2016. Blizzard declined to confirm or deny the report, saying only that "we don't have any announcements to make at this time," but September came and went without any action, and that, by all appearances, was the end of it.

But now the story has surfaced again, this time on Korean esports site Sports Seoul, which reported today that StarCraft: Remastered is in the works and expected to be ready for release in May or June. The report says an official announcement could actually be made as soon as next week.

The Google translation is predictably messy, but it appears as though the updated StarCraft will offer the same gameplay as the original release, but with HD graphics and Battle.net support. The report also claims that the game was actually revealed to select esports broadcasters, sponsors, and "key stakeholders" last November at BlizzCon.

As believable as it sounds, that last detail leaves me doubtful. The one great flaw in all conspiracy theories is that they require everyone involved to keep their mouths shut. And we're not talking about a shadowy government cabal with experience in keeping secrets here, either. With all due respect to all involved, how likely is it that the existence of a remastered StarCraft has been known to streamers and other members of the esports scene for months, without a word of it slipping out?

Anything is possible, I suppose. Blizzard, predictably, declined to clear things up, saying only, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation."

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.