StarCraft II goes free-to-play seven years after launch
If you’ve been zealously guarding your money since 2010, waiting for the day StarCraft II would finally be cheap enough to try out, you’re in luck. At Blizzcon over the weekend, Blizzard announced the game would be transitioning to a free-to-play model, offering significant portions of the single- and multiplayer content for no charge starting November 14.
As explained on the Battle.net blog, players will be able to download StarCraft II‘s original “Wings of Liberty” single-player campaign for free. Players who previously paid for “Wings of Liberty” will be able to get “Heart of the Swarm” expansion for free instead, and players who purchased an expansion previously will receive an exclusive Ghost skin and three new portraits.
Players will also be able to earn full, free access to ranked multiplayer play, including units from all three of the game’s expansions. That mode will be locked until players notch a single unranked or AI win on 10 separate days (“our way to preserve the quality and integrity of the ranked experience,” Blizzard explains).
Co-op players will be able to use three Commanders completely free—Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis—while others will be free up to level 5, after which they will need to be purchased individually. Blizzard will continue to make money off of StarCraft II by selling those Co-Op Commanders, additional single-player campaigns at $15 each (or $40 for a bundle of three), and other “premium upgrades” like announcer packs, special skins, and War Chests.
