The team was small and we were just getting started on our new game engine at the time. Kaeo Milker, Production Director: I joined StarCraft 2 as the game's first on-the-ground producer in February of 2005. Tell me about your first impressions of StarCraft 2? How did it initially compare to the original StarCraft? How did you feel about the decision to stick with the original three races?
Blizzard pushed StarCraft 2's esports hard, and the competitive scene was initially very strong. StarCraft 2 was released in 2010 amid a large publicity campaign and plenty of excitement. Together they trace StarCraft 2's recent decade, discuss some of its biggest successes and controversies, and reflect on what they might have done differently given the chance. To that end, I spoke over email with Production Director Kaeo Milker, Game Designer Kevin Dong, and Designer Ryan Schutter, with pro StarCraft 2 player Lee 'INnoVation' Shin Hyung also chipping in. The accepted wisdom is that MOBAs have overtaken the once-popular RTS genre, but StarCraft 2 still has plenty of fun, not to mention a robust competitive scene.Īs a lapsed fan who recently returned myself, I wanted to catch up with some of the key figures on StarCraft 2's development and beyond. It's fair to say that it's been a rollercoaster decade for Blizzard's real-time strategy game, full of some strong highs and some powerful lows ( sidelong glance at the Swarm Host).
