Classic Games
- Not to be confused with Blizzard Classic Games.
Classic Games was a division of Blizzard Entertainment, founded in 2015.[1] Its stated role is to "restore" the "classic games" of Blizzard, such as StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II.[1] It is headed by Robert Bridenbecker.[2] At the time of its formation, it consisted of around a dozen individuals.[3]
History
Classic Games grew out of Blizzard's Mac division. As Blizzard didn't plan to port 
[Overwatch] to Mac, and had no upcoming releases in the near future, its staff were left with nothing to do. The idea was floated to remaster StarCraft. This formed the genesis of the Classic Games team.[4]
It was responsible for the development of StarCraft: Remastered—a remake of the original StarCraft.[5] As of June 2017, the team was hiring staff, and was intended to be a permanent team among Blizzard's development teams.[6] In 2017, it was involved in maintaining the "classic servers" of Diablo II and Warcraft III, as neither of these games were integrated with the current Battle.net client.[7] As of BlizzCon 2017, the team was open to remastering Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II.[8] At BlizzCon 2018, the development of Warcraft III: Reforged was revealed.[9] Classic Games was given one year to work on the game, but requests to expand the team were denied, as Blizzard was undergoing cost-cutting at the time.[10]
After the release of Reforged, Classic Games planned to remaster Diablo II in a joint effort with Vicarious Visions, but the debacle with Reforged caused Blizzard to lose faith in the team.[11] The team was dismantled in 2020.[12]
Known staff
Works
- StarCraft: Remastered (2017)
- Warcraft III: Reforged (2020)
Notes and trivia
- Members of the team originally joked that they should be titled "Team 0."[13]
- They were likely responsible for the Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition releases on GOG.com in 2019.
References
- ^ a b Blizzard Looking to Revive These Classic Games. GameSpot (2015-11-04). Retrieved on 2017-12-13.
- ^ Remastering StarCraft's Art. Blizzard Entertainment (2017-04-21). Retrieved on 2017-12-13.
- ^ Blizzplanet 2018-11-04. Blizzcon 2018 Warcraft III: Reforged interview. Retrieved on 2018-11-06.
- ^ Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, pg. 287
- ^ An interview with the Devs of StarCraft: Remastered. Team Liquid (2017-03-26). Retrieved on 2017-12-13.
- ^ StarCraft Remastered devs unveil price, explain how much is being rebuilt. Ars Technica (2017-06-30). Retrieved on 2017-12-13.
- ^ Blizzard Entertainment, Matt Morris 2017-11-04. BlizzCon 2017: Developer Interview with Matt Morris, Lead Designer Classic Games. YouTube. Retrieved on 2017-12-13.
- ^ Medievaldragon 2018-10-19. Speculation: Diablo II: Remastered at BlizzCon 2018. Blizzplanet. Retrieved on 2018-10-22.
- ^ Colin Stevens 2018-11-02. Warcraft III: Reforged Announced - BlizzCon 2018. IGN. Retrieved on 2018-11-05.
- ^ Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, pg. 289
- ^ Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, pg. 292
- ^ 2021-01-23, Blizzard Absorbs Activision Studio After Dismantling Classic Games Team. Bloomberg, accessed on 2021-02-17
- ^ How Does Blizzard Choose Which Game To Remaster Next?. Game Informer (2018-11-19). Retrieved on 2018-11-25.
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