Blizzard’s latest job posting suggests the publisher wants to re-release classic games like Warcraft III and Diablo II on modern systems.
Players might mock Blizzard’s strange multiplayer features from time to time, but you can’t deny it’s made some impressive games. Between Diablo, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft alone, this studio is responsible for some the biggest gaming franchises of all time. The thing is, Battle.net only supports Blizzard’s latest titles – you’ll have to take your chances with compatibility issues when playing the classics. Thankfully, that’s about to change: According to a new job posting, Blizzard is seeking a software engineer who can restore games like Warcraft III, Diablo II, and the original StarCraft to modern operating systems.
“Compelling stories. Intense multiplayer. Endless replayability,” the posting reads. “Qualities that made StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II the titans of their day. Evolving operating systems, hardware, and online services have made them more difficult to be experienced by their loyal followers or reaching a new generation. We’re restoring them to glory, and we need your engineering talents, your passion, and your ability to get tough jobs done.”
Blizzard’s posting is an open call for a “Senior Software Engineer” capable of updating games for modern computers. Specific details on how these games will be updated isn’t clear – Blizzard could offer anything from GOG-style rereleases to remastered games. What is clear is engineers will curate “features new and old” while improving on multiplayer capabilities, which suggests Blizzard wants classic games to become current products once again.
Whatever the case, Blizzard updating its fan favorites could prove an exciting venture. One of GOG.com’s few weaknesses is that native multiplayer features aren’t always functional a decade later. But if Blizzard can make its games playable on modern systems and offer multiplayer support through Battle.net? We could go back to playing classic Diablo and StarCraft like it’s 1998. And if Blizzard decides to re-release The Lost Vikings 2 along the way, all the better.
We’ve reached out to Blizzard for comment, and will update this story with any new information.
Source: Blizzard
