Blizzard Partners with Nexon for StarCraft and Overwatch Mobile Projects

Nexon, known for hits like MapleStory and Dungeon & Fighter, has secured a partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to develop a new title using the StarCraft intellectual property (IP). The deal may also include distribution rights for Overwatch Mobile in South Korea and Japan, according to recent reports.

This came after intense competition with other major South Korean gaming companies, and Nexon emerged as Blizzard's preferred negotiation partner. This marks the first time Blizzard has collaborated with a South Korean game developer for its flagship franchises.

According to Money Today's report, Nexon has entered full-scale negotiations regarding both the StarCraft IP collaboration and the distribution rights for Overwatch Mobile in Korea and Japan. The deal has been in the works since late 2024, when Blizzard began accepting bids from leading Korean game companies.

The bidding process attracted several major players in the Korean gaming industry, including NC, Netmarble, and reportedly Krafton. These companies competed fiercely due to the significant influence and nostalgia associated with the StarCraft franchise in South Korea, as well as growing interest in the latest Overwatch developments.

For the StarCraft portion of the deal, Blizzard offered flexible terms that didn't restrict the genre or content format. This allowed bidders to propose various approaches, including new spin-offs, user-generated content platforms, and modifications using the beloved StarCraft universe.

The Overwatch Mobile project appears to be a departure from the traditional first-person shooter format of the main series. According to reports, it's being developed as a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game specifically designed for mobile platforms. Korean companies participating in the bidding process informally referred to it as "Overwatch 3" due to its significant gameplay differences from Overwatch 2.

Observers note that developing new StarCraft content presents both opportunities and challenges. Creating a real-time strategy (RTS) game that surpasses the quality of Blizzard's own StarCraft 2 would be difficult. Alternative approaches like mobile MOBAs or trading card games might not fully leverage the IP's strengths.

For Overwatch Mobile, the distribution rights being limited to Korea and Japan was considered a potential drawback by some bidders who were hoping for global rights. This regional limitation wasn't seen as fully aligning with the international ambitions of major Korean gaming companies.

NC's CEO Park Byung-moo reportedly led his company's bidding efforts personally, demonstrating the high stakes involved in securing these valuable IPs. Netmarble took a creative approach by holding a StarCraft IP development planning contest among its affiliated developers to strengthen its bid.

For Nexon, this partnership represents a significant opportunity to secure a globally recognized Western IP, potentially helping the company expand its reach beyond its traditional markets. The company has been actively seeking such partnerships to bolster its global portfolio.

This development also supports claims made by Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier in his 2024 book Play Nice, where he mentioned that an Overwatch Mobile project had been in development "directly" under Blizzard, rather than handing it to an external studio, but was thought to be on hold. The new deal confirms the project is moving forward, now as a MOBA-style game rather than a traditional shooter.

The collaboration reflects Blizzard's strategic shift toward leveraging regional expertise for specific markets. By partnering with Nexon, which has extensive experience in mobile gaming and deep understanding of Asian markets, Blizzard can potentially maximize the reach and success of these properties in key regions while focusing its internal resources elsewhere.

South Korea has maintained a particularly strong connection to StarCraft, which helped establish esports in the country following its 1998 release. This cultural significance likely contributed to the intense competition among Korean companies to secure the rights to this beloved property.

The gaming amigos now awaits further details about how Nexon will approach development of new StarCraft content and what features Overwatch Mobile will offer when it eventually launches in markets.