A Classic Science-Fiction Strategy Game

StarCraft II is a science-fiction real time strategy game released by Blizzard in 2010. It is the long-awaited sequel to StarCraft (1998). The game is critically acclaimed for its storytelling and range of features and became free-to-play in 2017. At its release, NZGamer.com called it “the best RTS game released in years and one of the best games on PC”. The basic game concept is to build an army and destroy the enemy base. There are three species in the game: Terran, Zerg and Protoss. The base game, Wings of Liberty focuses on the Terrans, while the expansion packs, Heart of the Swarm (2013) and Legacy of the Void (2015) are focused on the Zerg and Protoss species.

In its early years, StarCraft II was considered the largest esport in the world. After a lull in its dominance, there has been a resurgence in interest with the free-to-play model. Up until this year, the best players from the international WCS Circuit and South Korea’s Global StarCraft II League met at the WCS Global Finals. This changes in 2020: DreamHack and ESL have taken over management of StarCraft II esports. The ESL Pro Tour StarCraft II and DreamHack SC2 Masters are combining to create a new circuit with six major tournaments each year. The global finals will be held at the IEM Katowice World Championship in 2021. To stay updated on esports news read the Spin Sports Esports blog.