Blizzard has caught the attention of StarCraft fans by announcing a new position for creating an open‑world shooter on Unreal Engine.

Blizzard Entertainment is opening a position for a lead designer for a new AAA shooter

In July 2024 Blizzard announced it was looking for a lead designer for a project that will be built on the Unreal Engine and will offer players an open world. This is the first time in the company’s history that it plans to use a third‑party engine for its shooter – until now all games (except Hearthstone, made on Unity) have been based solely on internal technologies.

What Blizzard is looking for
- Experience with Unreal Engine: candidates must be able to quickly prototype gameplay mechanics and work as part of a team on a large project.
- Lead designer role: according to game designer Jeff Hamilton, the position is “quite unusual” and requires a creative approach to creating content for an open world.

Brief project information
Official details have not yet been released. However it is known:
- The game will be an AAA shooter in an open world.
- It uses Unreal Engine – the first time in Blizzard’s portfolio.
- The project is encrypted, but rumors suggest it may be tied to the StarCraft universe.

Connection to StarCraft
Earlier reports said that under former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, a shooter set in the StarCraft universe is being developed at the company. It is expected to be third‑person, though details have not been confirmed.

Possible presentation
Windows Central editor Jez Corden notes that at BlizzCon 2026 (September 12–13) the company may unveil a teaser or even a demo of this shooter. The event has already become one of the most anticipated in the industry.

Blizzard’s history with StarCraft
The company’s successes with previous StarCraft projects raise questions: *StarCraft: Ghost* and *Ares* were cancelled, and the development of its own shooter set in that universe is supposedly being handled by South Korean Nexon (The Finals, Arc Raiders). Nevertheless Blizzard continues to seek new ways to create content in this popular world.

Key facts
- Blizzard is looking for a lead designer for an AAA shooter on Unreal Engine.
- The project is an open world, possibly third‑person.
- It references the StarCraft universe and may be presented at BlizzCon 2026.
- This is the first time the company uses a third‑party engine.