StarCraft 2 fans have been waiting patiently for the first expansion to the real-time strategy title. After Wings of Liberty launched back in 2010, it was already known that there would be multiple expansions that highlight the different storylines in the StarCraft universe.
What we didn’t know, is that it would take such a long time to arrive. Fine-tuning and tweaking what many consider to be the best real-time strategy game on the market today, Blizzard is certainly taking their time with Heart of the Swarm. It was originally thought that Heart of the Swarm had a good chance of releasing in 2011, a distant memory that is. With the 2012 window getting smaller and smaller by the day, it’s starting to look like HOTS will miss this year as well.
Analysts concur, and Doug Creutz of Cowen & Company believes that StarCraft 2 fans will be waiting until next year. “Typically, Blizzard puts its new titles into beta for 3-6 months before they are officially released. With only five months left in the year, while it is still possible that Swarm could make the fiscal year, we are now assuming it ships in FY13.”
Heart of the Swarm has been playable for some time now. Last year at BlizzCon, Blizzard had a completely competent version of the game in both single and multiplayer versions to play. A Zerg-centric focus sees an entirely new campaign centered around the Queen of Blades (Kerrigan) and her Zerg army.
