Starcraft 2 beta for Mac on the way
By Alexis • Mar 18th, 2010 • Category: Industry News
- Photo: Blizzard
Blizzard, the Activision-owned studio behind the hugely popular Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft series of games, including World of Warcraft, is working on a Mac beta of its next major title, Starcraft 2.
Mac gaming victory
The Mac edition of the Starcraft 2 beta comes on the heels of the same beta running on the PC. More importantly for Mac gamers, this news comes on the heels of the recent announcement that Steam, Valve’s popular downloadable games service, will be arriving on Mac soon. These two announcements represent somewhat of a resurgence of Mac gaming, partly attributable to the increasingly similar computing architecture Macs and PCs have in that their both powered by Intel chips, as well as the recent line of Macbook Pros sporting very decent graphics cards.
The Starcraft effect
- Photo: Blizzard
Starcraft 2 beta, which is used as a testing and balancing platform for the game, is the limited public release of one of the most anticipated PC games in one of the most celebrated series of all time. While Starcraft enjoys acclaim in Europe and North America, its popularity in South Korea borders on the insane. The game is so popular in that nation, tournaments of the game are played on live television and the best players of the game enjoy the fame – and some of the fortune – football stars in the United Kingdom enjoy.
Starcraft 2 release date
At present, the Starcraft 2 beta is the only way to play the game, so it is expected Mac fans will rush to reserve their spot once Blizzard announces rollout. The release date is still unknown and Blizzard, who veil their games in secrecy until they’re ready, has remained coy about when to expect it. Gamers and retailers worldwide have earmarked the fourth quarter of 2010 as the big release date, and with the original Starcraft being released 12 years ago come the end of March, it suffices to say the wait is nearly over.
Tags for this article: Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft
