StarCraft II

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (source: starcraft2.blizzard.com)

The development studio Blizzard Entertainment is known for its RPG (role-playing games) titles such as Diablo and World of Warcraft, but they also excel in strategy games. The Warcraft series was proof of this, but the company did not stop at fantasy themes and brought their experience into the world of space science fiction. StarCraft II builds on the success of the first installment from 1998 and translates its gameplay mechanics into a modern form. Given the almost zero competition in the field of sci-fi RTS (real-time strategy) games, StarCraft II has been highly successful, but of course, it’s not just due to the lack of quality competitors in the video game industry. SC2 plays well, looks good, and offers fans many hours of entertainment. The single-player campaign has a strong story, but its multiplayer has had a far greater impact on today’s gaming and esports scene.

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History

StarCraft was announced back in 2007, but it remained in development until 2010. The story continues from the original game. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty breathed new life into the strategy game genre, but it didn’t stop there. Blizzard had two expansions/add-ons prepared, which further advanced the game world and its mechanics: StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm came out in 2013, and the entire trilogy and story arc was concluded with the expansion StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void in 2015. Both expansions brought new story missions, units, and minor changes to multiplayer. The folks at Blizzard knew they had to do more to keep the active player base. They also prepared several mission packs that original game owners received for free. The base game and its expansions were received extremely well – by critics and players alike. Graphically, StarCraft II was close to Warcraft III, just set in space, which worked very well and the game managed to build on the success of the original: popular with players and the size of the esports scene. To date, nearly 18 million copies of the game have been sold, but today anyone can download StarCraft II for free from Blizzard’s official distribution platform Battle.net.

Game footage

Multiplayer modes

In addition to single-player campaigns, the game offers a multiplayer mode, which features several different game modes. The most popular and most important for esports is the Versus mode (PvP, players play against each other), but Co-op (cooperative mode, players cooperate) was also very successful. Versus can be played in several formats: 1vs1, 2vs2, 3vs3, and 4vs4. The most famous and most played is the duel between two players, team variants are rarely seen today. Participants in the versus mode gain ratings and experience, which then reflect on their rank and placement on the ranked leaderboard.

History of the StarCraft II esports scene

The first installment of StarCraft is considered one of the first esports games, which enjoyed success primarily in Asia (mainly in Korea) with its competitive scene. The second installment easily built on the fame of its predecessor, and some tournaments were even broadcast live on local television. The first tournaments for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty were held while the game was still in beta, which only proved the eagerness of the player base. Production companies took full advantage of this, making SC2 the main esports title of its time. Major League Gaming (MLG) and Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) quickly took on organizing the biggest tournaments and leagues around the world. With the release of the first expansion SC2: Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard decided to take the reins of the competitive scene of their game back into their own hands. However, the effort to unify all leagues and tournaments culminating in one big event came to naught and the game started losing popularity. Of course, “unofficial” leagues (Proleague, Star League) persisted, but in 2016, with the new expansion, there was a betting scandal on professional matches in Korea (which had been an esports powerhouse for StarCraft from the beginning). Not only were the biggest teams breaking up, but now solo players were also leaving the scene. A significant decline in gameplay (not only) in Korea marked the end of an era. Blizzard Entertainment tried to keep their sci-fi title alive and in 2017 came out with in-game cosmetic additions (skins), from which 25% of the sales went towards maintaining the esports scene. Prize money for tournament victories, however, significantly decreased and there were fewer and fewer players. In 2020, Blizzard teamed up with ESL and DreamHack organizers in an attempt to revive the struggling SC2. Tournament qualifiers turned into Weekly Cups and the world finals were no longer held at BlizzCon, but at IEM events. This new system was named ESL Pro Tour and has lasted to this day.

SC2 esports today

The game is still played at a high level today, despite a rather bumpy and controversial journey, but the global scene is dominated by Asian players (e.g., Maru or Zest). In the Czech Republic, the game also appears in esports tournaments (Playzone, Ovachamp) and bookmakers still offer betting opportunities on StarCraft II matches.

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2️⃣ How many expansions for the base game StarCraft II are there?

3️⃣ Do I have to pay anything to play StarCraft II?

Peter Broz

Article author – esports expert Follow me: LinkedIn | Facebook Email: peter@slothbet.com I came into contact with playing computer games long before a billion-dollar business with professional teams emerged around them. Although I never reached the professional level, I still have many acquaintances among the top esports players today. At SlothBet, I will primarily contribute to the esports section.