After years of waiting, gamers will finally get to see the KickStarter-funded Starcraft Universe. Developer Upveal Arts said Starcraft II's much-awaited Mod will be released in a month from now. In fact, the game's Open Beta is now live on Battle.net.
Here's what we know so far about Starcraft Universe release date, gameplay and rumors on the web.
The modding team of StarCraft Universe, known as Upheaval Arts, has grown since the game's inception. After raising more than $84,000 in September 2013, the developers launched another fundraising campaign on Indiegogo. This time, the campaign is for "post-release support." The launching of Starcraft Universe will still happen whether developers get $90,000 or $9.
StarCraft Universe is set in an alternate reality, where the finale of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has a grim conclusion for Kerrigan. In addition, the Protoss here are defeated by the overwhelming force of the Hybrid.
The game offers 8 hero classes -- 4 Terran and 4 Protoss. Players can also drive vehicles and have intense ship-on-ship battle. Moreover, they can craft gear, purchase items from vendors, store stuff in banks, duel folks in PvP and many more. Also, expect to see World of Warcraft-like raids and weapons across a 20-planet alternate universe.
Interestingly, all of the exciting modes and features of StarCraft Universe will be available for free. Rock Paper Shotgun reports the game is also supported by Blizzard.
Gamers can now try the four open beta maps of StarCraft Universe. Players from the US regions can download the maps by clicking the links listed below. For players from other regions, they can go to Battle.net to get the maps.
- StarCraft Universe: Prologue 1 (Singleplayer Basic Tutorial)
- StarCraft Universe: Prologue 2 (Multiplayer Basic Raid)
- StarCraft Universe: Prologue 3 (Singleplayer Ship Tutorial)
- StarCraft Universe: Beyond Koprulu (Multiplayer limited Open Beta)
In a message posted in Kickstarter, developers thanked their fans. They said the creation of Stacraft Universe would not be possible without the pledges of their backers.
Formed in June 2012, Upheaval Arts is a small company composed of modding hobbyists. Most of its members have been modding Blizzard RTS engines for over a decade. The company also contracts talented industry professionals to make AAA contents.
As of now, the company has not yet revealed the specific release date of Starcraft Universe other than "a month from now." We'll keep you posted for more information.
Watch the game's cinematic trailer below.
