Blizzard's key developers tried for years to create a new Starcraft RTS or Warcraft RTS, but executives had 'no interest' in them

Blizzard RTS players haven't had it greatsince the studio doesn't seem interested in strategy anymore despite having established the "model for the RTS genre" in the past. Fraser Brown said this while lamenting Spencer’s t-shirt teasing at the Tokyo Game Show.

It turns out that there could have been a Blizzard RTS. There could have been more than one. There could have been a Warcraft 4, but Blizzard executives did not bite.

This is according to Bloomberg writer Jason Schreier who's currently on a book tour for "Play Nice: the Rise, Fall, And Future Of Blizzard Entertainment". One of these interviews, a World of Warcraft subreddit AMA, reveals a history behind the scenes that could break RTS fans hearts in half: "[Tim] Morten, and his team, tried for years to launch a new RTS. They made all sorts of prototypes and pitches, from Warcraft 4 and even, wildly a Call of Duty RTS. (He was desperate).

Schreier's referring to Starcraft 2 production director, who quit Blizzard to work on Stormgate in 2019. The game was released in early access in August to mixed reviews.

Schreier claims that Blizzard executives were not interested in a new RTS title, despite the pitches they received. He cites Warcraft 3:Reforged as an attempt to convince the executives that there was some gas left in the old RTS tank. But we all know what happened.

In case you didn't know, it went bad. Fans, who were right, pointed out the differences between the demo and what was shown two years ago. The developers clarified that the initial vision needed to be tamed down, but expectations were mismanaged.

Blizzard's infamous rep-tanking scandals, the lack of features in the original 20-year-old game, the crappy EULA, and the fact that this game was released during that nightmare, all contributed to the death of the genre.

Schreier continues, "Reforged was a disaster--the first bad game in Blizzard history and a stain on the company's reputation." "So, in 2020 Morten and his team left Blizzard to form Frost Giant. (They recently released Stormgate).

With new ownership, however, comes new executives who might be more willing to bring the genre back to life. However, if Blizzard is looking to get back in the game, the studio it faces is largely devoid of the original talents that made its RTS classics so great. Fraser, our own Fraser, said that Blizzard has the resources and capability to attract talent which could lead to another genre-defining RTS. If, you know, the game tried."