Microsoft Is Finally Getting Serious About RTS (And That StarCraft Shooter Might Actually Exist)
Microsoft is reportedly ready to stop playing nice with outdated tech and finally give the RTS genre the kick in the teeth it deserves.
It’s been a long, weird road for strategy fans. I’ve survived the dark ages of mobile clones and the slow, painful realization that some of my favorite franchises were left to rot in a digital dumpster while publishers chased battle royale trends. But if the latest rumblings from Jez Corden on the Xbox Two podcast are to be believed, the suits at Redmond have realized they’re sitting on a goldmine of nerds who just want to micro-manage units until their fingers bleed.
I’ve spent years wondering why Microsoft hasn't done more with the massive war chest of IPs they’ve acquired. It looks like the plan is finally coming together, and it involves dumping proprietary headaches in favor of tools that actually work.
Ditching the Essence Engine for Unreal
Relic’s Essence Engine has always been a bit of a diva. While it looked pretty enough in Age of Empires IV, the development pipeline was apparently a nightmare that nobody wants to revisit.
Why the Change Matters
Unreal Engine is the industry standard for a reason. It doesn't fight you every step of the way. According to Corden, World’s Edge is building the "bones" of a new Age of Empires title on Unreal to avoid the friction they hit with Relic’s tech. It’s a smart move. Proprietary engines are great until the one guy who knows how the lighting works quits to go bake sourdough in another state. Moving to Unreal means more stability and, hopefully, a faster turnaround for a franchise that’s been coasting on remasters for too long. I want my medieval warfare without the technical baggage.
StarCraft’s Third-Person Resurrection
If you still have PTSD from the cancellation of StarCraft: Ghost back in the mid-2000s, you might want to sit down before reading further.
Thinking Beyond the RTS
Corden mentioned he’s seen gameplay footage of a new StarCraft third-person shooter, and it apparently looks like Space Marine. About fucking time. The StarCraft universe is too grim and gritty to be stuck in a bird's-eye view forever. Seeing a Zerg rush from the perspective of a Terran Marine who is about to be turned into literal paste sounds exactly like the kind of high-octane nonsense I’d pay full price for. If they can capture that heavy, tactile feel of Warhammer 40k but with the polish of a modern Blizzard-adjacent title, I’m all in.
Microsoft Wants the RTS Crown
It isn't just about one or two games. Microsoft is clearly trying to corner the market on strategy while everyone else is busy chasing the next hero shooter trend.
The Return of the King
While the shooter is the shiny new toy, the word is that an actual StarCraft RTS is also on the table. Microsoft is leaning hard into PC gaming, and they know that strategy fans are some of the most loyal players in the world. By consolidating Age of Empires and StarCraft under one roof, they’re basically telling the rest of the industry to get off their lawn. It’s an aggressive play, but after years of neglect, it’s the kind of aggression the genre needs to stay relevant in 2026.
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