Xbox and Blizzard are hiring for "an upcoming AAA open-world shooter" that uses the Unreal Engine — is this the new StarCraft FPS we've been waiting for?

Storied game developer Blizzard Entertainment hasn't officially announced the next game it's working on after 2023's action RPG Diablo 4, but it's been long-rumored to be a new entry in its dormant dark sci-fi series StarCraft. Thus far, every installment of the franchise has been a real-time strategy (RTS) title, but this new game has been said to be a shooter — something a new job listing at the studio supports.

Indeed, Blizzard is hiring a lead designer for "an upcoming AAA open-world shooter," which sounds like it could very well be the StarCraft FPS we've occasionally heard about in recent years. The listing reveals little else about the game, though it does say the developer is seeking someone with "Proven experience working with the Unreal Engine," suggesting the game will utilize it.

Rumors of a new StarCraft entry in the shooter genre first came in 2024, with Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reporting that following layoffs at Blizzard that came after it was acquired by Microsoft for Xbox, remaining devs that had worked on the studio's canceled survival game were "incubating" a StarCraft FPS under the leadership of Far Cry developer Dan Hay.

Blizzard then put out a job listing for an engineer with a specialization in vehicle simulation earlier this year, leading many to speculate that there are plans for gameplay with vehicles like Siege Tanks in this unannounced StarCraft FPS. At the same time, it was also reported Blizzard is partnering with Nexon of The First Descendent and ARC Raiders fame to make the game.

While Blizzard hasn't yet confirmed there's a new StarCraft FPS on the way, this new job listing is a pretty huge piece of evidence that there is, and does confirm that the studio is, at the very least, working on a new shooter game. And while an FPS may disappoint some who are particularly passionate about the franchise's RTS roots, the prospect of a new entry in the series is nevertheless exciting for many.

The 2017 remaster of the original game aside, there hasn't been a new StarCraft installment since 2010's StarCraft 2, released 16 years ago. Therefore, any new game in the series is likely to please its fans, many of which have worried that Blizzard will never return to it.

With that said, though, there's valid reason to be concerned about this new FPS, and whether or not it will actually end up seeing the light of day. Over the years, Blizzard has canceled several planned or work-in-progress StarCraft projects, including the shooter games Ghost and Ares. Because of this, there are fears the developer will end up axing this one, too.

For now, all we can do is wait and see what time brings, though the fact Blizzard is hiring for this new open-world shooter has given fans hope that the rumored StarCraft FPS is still alive and well. And hey, BlizzCon 2026 marketing features StarCraft pretty prominently...

If and when it does eventually come out, it will likely be available to play on Xbox and PC, and potentially on PlayStation as well. As a first-party Xbox title, it would also be accessible through Xbox Game Pass.

🗨️ Would you play a StarCraft FPS?

Blizzard bringing back its dormant sci-fi RTS franchise StarCraft with an FPS game would be quite an event, and would no doubt revitalize the property after years and years of nothing new for its fans to enjoy.

If we do end up getting a StarCraft shooter game, will you play it? Let me know how you feel about the concept in the comments, and vote in our poll.

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