Blizzard is remaking 'StarCraft' with better graphics - and it's making the original version free

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People still play the original StarCraft, a real-time strategy game that first came out in 1998.

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Now, the intergalactic war game is getting a major facelift, Blizzard announced on Sunday.

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Blizzard

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"StarCraft: Remastered" will preserve the gameplay of the original 1998 title, but the new title will update its aging graphics and audio and will ensure better compatibility with modern computers.

The reason having the exact same gameplay is important for this remake is because the original StarCraft is often played as an e-sport, especially in South Korea. "Gameplay and balance have been precisely preserved," Blizzard said in a statement.

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Here's what you need to know about the new StarCraft remake:

  • It has an "anticipated release date" of this summer.
  • It will be able to display graphics in 4K in widescreen.
  • The audio ("We need more pylons!") has been remastered as well.
  • The online component has been updated, with cloud support for saves, custom maps, and other user-generated components.
  • It will be released for Windows and Mac but we don't know the price yet.
  • Like the original, gamers will be able to play matches online.
  • "StarCraft: Remastered" will include all of the original game's storyline and single-player version as well content from an original expansion, "Brood War."
  • The original game and its expansions will be called "StarCraft Anthology," and it will be free to download and play.
  • All three original races, Protoss, Terran, and Zerg, will still be playable.

And here's how the newly updated graphics look: