Blizzard reveals open-world StarCraft shooter led by ex-Far Cry boss

Blizzard has confirmed its new StarCraft project is an open-world shooter.

The trailer debuted during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2026 on Saturday. BlizzCon is Blizzard's own fan gathering, where the company places its largest announcements. The reveal was presented on stage by Dan Hay, the former Far Cry boss now leading the project, according to Video Games Chronicle.

For anyone new to the names, a short guide helps. StarCraft is a science-fiction universe best known for strategy games, where players direct armies from a view above the battlefield. A shooter moves the camera down to ground level, centred on aiming and firing. Open-world means the action sits in a large, explorable map rather than a straight line of missions.

Hay is central to the story. The producer joined Blizzard in 2022 and has been leading its reported StarCraft shooter team, as noted by Polygon. He made his name overseeing Far Cry, Ubisoft's series of first-person shooters set in wild, open regions. The title of boss here is practical. He runs the team, sets the direction and answers for the result.

The link between Hay and StarCraft is not new. Jason Schreier's book Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment had already reported that Hay was working on a shooter in the series. Video Games Chronicle had followed in January with a report that Blizzard was expected to show the game from the former Far Cry boss later this year. Saturday's trailer turned that expectation into a public reveal.

History gives the announcement extra weight. Blizzard previously developed two StarCraft shooters under the working code names Ghost and Ares. A code name is a temporary title used while a game is in production. Both projects were cancelled before launch and never reached players.

The path to Saturday was short and public. The January report put the project on the calendar for this year. Early September coverage restated Hay's role ahead of BlizzCon. The opening ceremony then provided the stage, with Hay himself doing the introduction.

What makes this stand out is simple persistence. The company has tried twice to take StarCraft into shooters. Both efforts stopped. This version has a named leader, a trailer and a stage reveal.

For fans, this means there is finally footage to discuss. Months of reports and older book mentions have become something visible. The confirmed points are narrow but clear: the universe is StarCraft, the form is an open-world shooter, and the lead is Hay.