Some of the biggest news to hit the RTS scene in years has broke. For anyone who hasn’t yet paid a visit to Reddit, Twitter, TeamLiquid.net, or any other news source today, Blizzard Entertainment has announced a project called StarCraft: Remastered. StarCraft: Remastered (SCR) will bring the StarCraft 1 anthology into the new millennium with updated graphics, resolutions, multiplayer, and some quality of life adjustments. This is news that deserves to be celebrated, and Blizzard deserves a round of applause for undertaking this project. Esports owes much of its very existence to StarCraft Broodwar and the effort to ensure that this work of art will continue to exist for years to come is something that the StarCraft community appreciates to no end.

                It would seem though, that some members of the esports community are expecting SCR to reinvigorate the RTS genre, and become a forerunner in the global esports sphere, overtaking its modern counterpart, StarCraft 2. However, I can point to several reasons why SCR won’t dethrone SC2 on the global esports stage.

                I harbor no ill will for SCR or SC:BW. I love SC2 more than any video game that I’ve ever touched in my life. If something comes along that can revitalize the genre of RTS and thrust the pros and personalities who I love back to the top of the global esports scene, then I’m 100% on board. I simply do not believe that SCR will be such a title, and there are some key factors that need to be mentioned.

THE STARCRAFT: BROOD WAR ESPORTS SCENE OUTSIDE OF KOREA WAS VERY SMALL

                Ask any of the foreign pro BW players from yesteryear, the scene for the game outside of Korea was very small. Brood war sold well worldwide of course, but those sales didn’t translate into a global competitive scene in the way that esports function today. Many StarCraft fans played the game for its single player storyline, or for custom games like the famous ‘Big Game Hunters’. While a scene for competitive Broodwar existed outside of Korea, it was far from what we recognize as ‘esports’ in this day and age.

                Admittedly, some of the best and most well-known esports personalities have roots in SC:BW and the early days of esports. However, they’ll be quick to tell you that it was a small community, though it was certainly respected by the other early esports scenes. Aside from the World Cyber Games and Team Liquid Starleague tournaments, there were very few high profile, lucrative tournaments in the foreign Brood War scene.

                Of course, many people in the west were brought into esports through Brood War; I’m not trying to claim otherwise. However, for the foreign esports community, there aren’t many Brood War fans to call back with SCR. Very few casual gamers in the early 2000s knew of esports’ existence. Less knew about the competitive Brood War scene outside of Korea. It was simply a different environment than what we have today.

                There will be no resurgence of a global StarCraft: Brood War esports scene, because frankly, it didn’t exist. It was on too small a scale to ‘bring back’. Anyone who wants to see global SCR esports will need to establish such a scene themselves, not revitalize a pre-existing one.

STARCRAFT REMASTERED WILL HAVE A HUGE BARRIER TO ENTRY FOR ANY NEW PLAYERS

                One of the most frequently cited reasons for the decline of SC2’s popularity and the decline of the RTS genre, is the fact that StarCraft 2 and RTS games are really hard. It’s not the most eloquent way to phrase the point, but it's true. StarCraft and its RTS counterparts are very difficult. They have a harsh learning curve, an established playerbase who know what they’re doing, and, being single player titles, they don’t offer any excuses for a player’s shortcomings. You can’t blame a defeat on teammate going AFK in spawn when you’re playing StarCraft.

                This difficulty is ramped up significantly in StarCraft’s first iteration. Brood War’s mechanics are difficult to master, often user unfriendly, but are undeniably a key component to the game. Blizzard made the right choice in leaving Brood War’s eccentricities in StarCraft Remastered. It would be wrong to have a remake where players can create control groups of more than 12 units.

                When so many claim that SC2 is too difficult for the lion's share of the modern gaming community, it’s hard to imagine SCR performing any better, or even equally. As previously outlined, there aren’t enough returning fans to support SCR esports on a global stage. SCR must attract new players and turn them into esports fans. Right now, I’m pessimistic for SCR’s success with a new audience. Attracting new players is the best way to attract new viewers. In my opinion, SCR will have to draw in viewership without relying on the size of its playerbase.

THE GRAPHICS MAY NOT BE APPEALING FOR THE NEW AUDIENCE OF ESPORTS FANS

                 A lot has changed since 1998. Gaming is reaching new heights of immersion and graphic excellence every year. Fans often look back at old screenshots from yesteryear and think ‘wow, I can’t believe that this game was considered to have amazing graphics’. I’ll admit to having uninstalled the original SC:BW when I tried to play it a few years ago because I found its graphics to be too dated.

                The updated graphics of SCR look cool, though, don’t get me wrong. I’m looking forward to playing through the original StarCraft campaign with graphics that I find more amicable. But they are maintaining a distinctly ‘retro’ tone. It’s a good choice from Blizzard. Staying as true as possible to the original StarCraft’s look is as important as staying true to its gameplay. For a modern audience, though, it may not take.

                League of Legends, a game that was released in 2009, consistently updates its graphics to stay up to date and modern. It isn’t a factor that’s integral to the game’s success, but Riot recognizes value in keeping their game as contemporary as possible.

                SCR graphics may hit on all the nostalgia buttons for original fans, but will it entice new viewers? Aside from the retro gaming fans, I find it unlikely. If it does find a spot in the global esports scene, it will certainly be one of the oldest looking games.

WCS 2018 HAS ALREADY BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR SC2

Image credited to Adela Sznajder, courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

                One of the most integral factors in whether a game will succeed as an esport title in the modern era is how much support it receives from the developer. In StarCraft’s case, the developer organized world championship is called the World Championship Series. This year, WCS is providing a $2 million total prizepool to SC2, spread across multiple events in both the Korean and foreign scenes. WCS circuit offers professional players the chance to travel around the world, attending tournaments and earning their livelihood. Through WCS Korea, Blizzard supports the GSL and the Korean pros who play in it.

                Without WCS, the sustainability of SC2 would be undoubtedly nonexistent. There are plenty of grass roots initiatives in SC2 that should not be ignored or understated, but they alone are simply not able to support the professional esports scene that currently exists.

                Thankfully, we need not worry about the existence of WCS right now, as Blizzard released a pseudo announcement for WCS 2018 when it announced WCS 2017. As they revealed the format of WCS 2017, the developer mentioned that WCS 2018 would look very similar to the 2017 format. While this tells us nothing about the prizepool of WCS 2018, it at least assures everyone who is working in the professional SC2 scene that there will be a WCS 2018 and to plan for the format that we have right now.

                It seems unlikely that such a tournament will exist for SCR when Blizzard has already voiced their dedication to SC2 esports. Without prizepool and global tournament support, SC2 pros will have little incentive to switch to SCR, even those who started their esports career with Brood War. SCR will have to develop its esports scene in the traditional fashion -- from the ground up with grassroots initiatives from those who love the game.

THE STARCRAFT BROOD WAR REVIVAL IN KOREA IS PERHAPS OVER EMPHASIZED

                Many people cite the Brood War revival in Korea as one of the reasons why SC2 will fall be the way side at SCR’s release. Some of the biggest names in Korean esports like Flash and Jaedong have left SC2 to return to the game that they’re most familiar with and best known for. They’ve been experiencing tremendous success with their transition as well. Thousands of fans tune into their streams on AfreecaTV and the Brood War scene is being supported by the Afreeca Starleague tournament (ASL). With solid viewership, respectable PC Bang numbers, and some of the most famous esports personalities to have ever existed, truly Brood War is on an unstoppable path to success that is only bolstered by the SCR announcement. Right?

                On face value, it seems like sunshine and roses for Brood War and the SCR scene. Take a deeper look, though, and you’ll identify some glaring issues faced by the Brood War scene in Korea.

                The professional players who are involved in Korean Broodwar in 2017 are people who established themselves during the game’s peak popularity. Flash, Bisu, Stork, and Jaedong are as big a draw for nostalgic fans as the game itself. Currently, there is no clear path that allows players to transition from skilled amateur, to professional.

                Where SC2 has grassroots initiatives that award prize money in weekly cups, no such tournaments exist for Brood War. Brood War up and comers can’t tap into streaming to support themselves in the same way that esports celebrities like Flash and Jaedong can. With no transitionary support for amateurs, there will likely be a void left in the scene when these reknowned pros eventually leave to do their mandatory military service. At such a time, many of the nostalgic fans who love seeing their favourite Brood War pros play may leave as well. It remains to be seen.

                It is entirely possible, perhaps probable, that SCR will become more popular than SC2 in Korea. Both scenes are facing tremendous problems though, and they need to be addressed if SCR wishes to shake up the status quo any further.

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                I wish no ill will towards StarCract: Remastered’s success, or towards SC:BW fans who want to see their game swell in popularity. This announcement is bringing many new faces into the StarCraft scene, and that has to be acknowledged for what it is, fantastic. It seems plain to me though that SCR will not dethrone SC2 from its current spot on the esports totem poll.

                SC2 is a beautiful game with a solid global esports scene and hoards of fans. The future remains to be seen, but a future where SC2 maintains its spot as #1 RTS esport is hardly a terrible future indeed.

If you enjoyed this piece, follow the author at @CyanEsports.