A question about the StarCraft series possibly going free-to-play was asked during a panel at the Valencia eSports Congress, an eSports convention currently being held in Spain. That question was answered by none other than Dustin Browder, the lead designer for StarCraft 2 - and he wasn’t shy about admitting that Blizzard is seriously considering the option.
Browder stated that Blizzard is currently “looking at free to play as an option for the multiplayer,” which would draw even more players into what is already a successful eSports scene and net Blizzard an abundant amount of competitive players. In comparison to other popular eSports titles, StarCraft 2 is the only one with a standalone, full-package price tag (DOTA 2 and League of Legends having a microtransaction history, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive having a very low price tag).
Browder revealed that Blizzard is unsure whether a monetization system would work if StarCraft 2’s multiplayer went free-to-play, as the game is currently balanced on the fact that everyone has the same units and buildings available for each race.
It’s easy to see that a game like StarCraft 2 wasn’t built to have a monetizing system within it, and fans aren’t entirely sure what changes such a system might bring to the online scene. Blizzard is well-known for taking its time to ensure a properly balanced game, so if this free-to-play system was ever put into place, it’d likely not be for quite some time - probably well after the StarCraft 2 trilogy is completed.
If you still haven’t played the game, you can read our StarCraft 2 review here.
What do you think, Ranters? Is it a good idea for Blizzard to open the floodgates of a free-to-play style to the online StarCraft 2 scene? How do you think a transaction-based system would develop?
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Source: PCGamesN
