14 DAY TRIAL // We reported yesterday that the most expected RTS (Real Time Strategy) title, Starcraft II, would be delivered in three releases that would follow the actions of every race from the universe of the franchise – the Terrans, in Wings of Liberty, the Zerg in Heart of the Swarm and the Protoss in Legacy of the Void. Although fans took this decision with a grain of salt, the lead producer Chris Sigaty said that it was the only way to keep them happy and not delay the product for a very long time.
He now returns in an interview with MTV Multiplayer where he tackles the subject of the release schedules for the three standalone titles. Blizzard aims a release every year but it all comes down to the portrayal of the story accurately and in a way to satisfy the fans. However, we mustn't look at this long development cycle in a bad way, because, after all, Blizzard is just trying to create and deliver a great product like always.
"With Warcraft III, we hit a year for the expansion. We'd love to hit that for Starcraft 2, but honestly, with how story mode goes and with the pre-rendered and in-game cinematics, I don't know how long it's going to take, so it's hard to answer that question. We want to hit the shortest amount of time possible," Sigaty said. When asked whether that meant the StarCraft 2 releases could be a year or more apart, Sigaty answered, "Yes, it could be. But let's spin that in a positive light!"
This idea was also sustained by a statement from Rob Pardo, vice president of game design for Blizzard, who said that in an ideal way, a yearly release was what the company wanted to achieve. "With any luck, it would be like a year for each successive one, but that's going to be a target date, that's not a promise," he said, speaking with Joystiq.
As regards the pricing of these titles, both of them said that it was something they would address when the products were done. If the game felt like an expansion, it would be priced accordingly because in the end, the players come first to Blizzard, and their being satisfied made the company what it is today.