StarCraft is a science fiction media franchise made up of real-time strategy video games developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. The series has several games which carry the main story arc: StarCraft, its expansion pack StarCraft: Brood War, and the trilogy StarCraft II. In addition, the series incorporates media that include spin-off video games,[1] tabletop games,[2] novelizations, graphic novels, and other literature.[3] A variety of toys have also been produced.[4] Set in the 26th century, the series revolves around three species fighting for dominance in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy: the Terrans, humans exiled from Earth who are adept at conforming to any situation; the Zerg, a race of insectoids obsessed with the pursuit of genetic perfection through the assimilation of other races; and the Protoss, a humanoid species with advanced technology and psionic abilities attempting to preserve from the Zerg both their civilization and strict philosophical way of living.[5]
Conceived by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, the StarCraft series has been a commercial and critical success. The first game, StarCraft, is regarded as being highly influential in the real-time strategy genre.[6] Combined with its official expansion, Brood War, over 10 million copies of StarCraft have been sold globally.[7] StarCraft remains one of the most popular online games in the world;[8] Blizzard Entertainment reported an 800 percent increase in Battle.net service usage after the game's release in 1998.[9] The original StarCraft and its expansion are particularly popular in South Korea, where a successful eSports scene has been established.[10]
Game | Release date | |||
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North America | PAL region | |||
StarCraft | 31 March 1998[11] | 31 March 1998[11] | ||
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StarCraft: Insurrection | 31 July 1998[15] | 31 July 1998[15] | ||
StarCraft: Retribution | Late 1998[16] | Late 1998[16] | ||
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StarCraft: Brood War | 30 November 1998[17] | March 1999[18] | ||
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StarCraft 64 | 13 June 2000[19] | 16 June 2000[19] | ||
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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | July 27, 2010[22] | July 27, 2010[22] | ||
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StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | March 12, 2013 | March 12, 2013 | ||
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StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void | November 10, 2015 | November 10, 2015 | ||
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StarCraft: Ghost | Cancelled | Cancelled | ||
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Game | Release date | Media type |
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StarCraft Adventures | July 2000[30] | Role-playing game |
StarCraft: The Board Game | October 2007[2] | Board game |
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Title | Release date | Length | Label | |
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StarCraft: Game Music Vol. 1 | January 2000[32] | 56:49 | Net Vision Entertainment | |
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StarCraft Original Soundtrack | 10 August 2008[33] | 63:34 | Azeroth Music | |
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Title | Release date | ISBN | Media type |
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StarCraft: Revelations | 29 March 1999[3] | — | Short story |
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StarCraft: Hybrid | Second quarter of 2000[35] | — | Short story |
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StarCraft: Uprising | 18 December 2000[36] | ISBN 978-0-7434-1898-0 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade | 1 March 2001[37] | ISBN 978-0-671-04148-9 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga | 1 July 2001[38] | ISBN 978-0-671-04149-6 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Speed of Darkness | 1 June 2002[39] | ISBN 978-0-671-04150-2 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Queen of Blades | 1 June 2006[40] | ISBN 978-0-7434-7133-6 | Novelization |
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StarCraft Ghost: Nova | 28 November 2006[41] | ISBN 978-0-7434-7134-3 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn | 22 May 2007[42] | ISBN 978-0-7434-7125-1 | Novelization |
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The StarCraft Archive | 13 November 2007[43] | ISBN 978-1-4165-4929-1 | Anthology |
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StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #2: Shadow Hunters | 27 November 2007[44] | ISBN 978-1-4165-8003-4 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Frontline | August 2008[45] | ISBN 978-1-4278-0721-2 | Graphic novel |
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StarCraft: I, Mengsk | 30 December 2008[46] | ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #3: Twilight | 30 June 2009[47] | ISBN 978-0-7434-7129-9 | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Ghost Academy | 1 February 2010 [48] | ISBN 978-1-4278-1612-2 | Graphic novel |
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StarCraft Ghost: Spectres | 27 September 2011[49] | ASIN B01K1585DC | Novelization |
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StarCraft: Evolution | 8 November 2016 | ISBN 978-0425284735 | Novelization |
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Heaven's Devil's (Starcraft II #1) | 6 April 2010 | ISBN 9781416550846 | Novelization |
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Devil's Due (Starcraft II #2) | 12 April 2011 | ISBN 9781416550853 | Novelization |
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Flashpoint (Starcraft II #3) | 6 November 2012 | ISBN 978-0425284735 | Novelization |
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Title | Release date | Media type |
---|---|---|
StarCraft Battle Chest | 31 December 1999[50] | Video game compilation |
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StarCraft Cinematics DVD | First quarter of 2001[52] | Cinematic cut scene collection |
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Heroes of the Storm | 2 June 2015[53] | Video game |
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