StarCraft and Brood Wars can be downloaded for free from Blizzard’s website.
Feeling that all modern-day games have lost some of their appeals? Then you should definitely go old school, and we might be able to help you with that. As part of their massive StarCraft Remastered PR campaign, Blizzard recently announced that the original game and its expansion pack could be downloaded for free from the company’s website. Not a big fan of real-time strategy games? No matter, because StarCraft is far more than your run-of-the-mill build-and-conquer RTS.
StarCraft – The Beginning of the RTS Genre?
Approximately two decades ago, on the 31st of March 1998, Blizzard released a game that will entirely redefine the RTS genre as we know it. The game bore the name of StarCraft, and it showed the user a glimpse of humanity’ future – building colonies all over the Universe, engaging in battle with a blood-thirsty alien species, and cultivating diplomatic relationships with a mysterious species of aliens, whose knowledge of the Universe is unsurpassed.
It’s obvious why StarCraft became so popular – it’s highly addictive, immersive, and, of course, it beats playing any kind of board game. However, for some countries, such as South Korea, StarCraft was more than just a game you can play with your friends on a lazy Sunday. Ever heard of the country’s StarCraft tournaments, the competition which gathers the most proficient players from all over South Korean and the world?
This is a fine example of how a simple game can become a world-wide phenomenon. Event after StarCraft’s sequel was launched back in 2010, people are still playing the original game. And now, the original game can be downloaded and played for free thanks to Blizzard’s efforts.
Blizzard Is Moving Ahead with Its PR Campaign
In anticipation of StarCraft Remastered, which should come out sometime this year, Blizzard announced that both the original game and its expansion are now free of charge. The offer does not have a time limit, so you have all the time in the world to think about if you’re into RTS games or now.
What’s even more awesome is the fact that the freebies offered by Blizzard have the latest 1.18 patch, the first official major overhaul over the past eight years. Apart from fixing some minor sound and UI issue, the new StarCraft patch offers improved Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 compatibilities.
Moreover, after completing the game’s iconic campaigns, you can also challenge your friends to a match over the Internet. This freebie is compatible with both Windows PC and Mac OSX.
Image source: Blizzard
Matthew Slotkin
