Blizzard on StarCraft 2 development, series deviation and Zerg evolution

Making a good sequel is challenging business. One must be able to breathe something fresh into the franchise while keeping the fun core elements of the original game intact.

Fortunately, Blizzard is working on doing exactly that with StarCraft 2. Lead Producer Chris Sigaty tells us a little bit about what Blizzard has in store for the sequel in three separate videos. Watch them after the jump.

“Blizzard tends to take its time when making sequels, but when the games do come out, the world explodes,” so they say.

That appears to be what Blizzard has in mind for StarCraft 2. In fact, Lead Producer Chris Sigaty talked a little bit about three different aspects of the sequel’s development in three separate videos.

First, Blizzard has been making an effort to recapture the magic of the original StarCraft – micromanagement and fast-paced action involving humongous armies. At the same time, the company has also been making changes to the sequel. The key apparently lies in the company’s willingness to listen to player feedback regarding the game.

Sigaty also admitted that the Blizzard team working on StarCraft 2 is actually the same team that worked on Warcraft 3. While the team has learned some lessons from their Warcraft experience, Sigaty said that the StarCraft franchise has noticeably deviated from its counterpart. For example, StarCraft 2 eschews hero mechanics in favor of what Sigaty calls “micro heavy huge army fighting,” yet it borrows from the User Interface of Warcraft 3.

Lastly, Sigaty also referred to how the Zerg have evolved since Brood War. All Zerg units are now capable of burrowing. Old units like the Queen and the Ultralisk have gotten power upgrades. For example, Zerg Queens now possess the ability to heal buildings and to turn them into defensive structures. Ultralisks’ attacks now have an AoE effect to them.

These are but some of the topics that Sigaty discussed. For more information on such topics as battle.net features and customization in StarCraft 2, why not watch the videos below?