The new RTS from former StarCraft 2 devs looks a lot like StarCraft 2
Some of the folks making Stormgate were once at Blizzard
What happens when some folks who previously worked at Blizzard on games including Warcraft 3 and StarCraft 2 go independent with a new studio to make a new real-time strategy game? They make a game which looks quite a lot like 'Warcraft 3 meets StarCraft 2'. That's Stormgate, and you can see that for yourself in the first gameplay trailer, below.
Along with various competitive multiplayer modes, Stormgate will cooperative play, including on campaign missions. And as you might hope, given how huge mod tools were for Warcrafts and StarCrafts, it will have an editor letting players make new maps and modes.
Stormgate will be free-to-play, thought Frost Giant insist "never pay to win." They haven't fully explained what they will sell, but say you can "Support the development of additional optional content that you enjoy, without ever paying to remove nuisances or gain an advantage." In that spirit of welcoming folks in, they also plan to make it more accessible to a wider audience through features like simplified controls and automatic control groups. They say they have "lowered the skill floor while keeping the ceiling as high as you want to climb."
The 1v1 in this pre-alpha gameplay video is a mirror match between the Human resistance. The only other faction confirmed so far are the Infernal Host, a group of demons who've invaded on some sort of, I don't know, I suppose we could call it a Burning Crusade.
If Frost Giant Studios are taking suggestions for the others, might I be so bold as to suggest isolationist blue elves, or isolationist blue space-elves. Maybe they be could haughty but honourable. Could have an organic vibe to their technology, or even organic technology. I'd go for that. Also one faction should spray meat and guts everywhere, that would be cool.
Stormgate is headed to Steam, though Frost Giant haven't yet said when. They plan to start a multiplayer closed beta in July, which you can sign up for on the game's site, then expand testing to co-op later this year. The beta will run into at least 2024, adding new players in waves.
As I mentioned when Frost Giant announced Stormgate last NotE3, the former Blizzfolk on their team might not be the big names you think of for those games, but those games were never made just by the big names. Their lineup includes the campaign lead designer of Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and lead artist of StarCraft 2: Legacy Of The Void.
NotE3 and Summer Game Fest 2023 is over for another year. You can find out all the latest news by visiting our E3 2023 hub, or you can catch up with our round-up posts of everything that was announced at Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, the PC Gaming Show, Day Of The Devs, and our top highlights from the Wholesome Direct.