StarCraft II Bringing Premium Fan-Made Maps into the Game

Almost a decade ago, Blizzard made a promise to StarCraft II fans when they announced the Map Marketplace and it looks like they are finally ready to pony up the good stuff.

The latest patch to come down the pipeline, Patch 4.3, will bring with it the ability to both buy and sell maps to the StarCraft Arcade. This is the map-creation mode where many have created incredible fan-contributions to a beloved game. The maps themselves were free, but to sweeten the deal for creators Blizzard has implemented a new selection tool. This will select “prominent community creators” in which sales will help support them.

“With the launch of StarCraft II patch 4.3.0, we’ll be introducing two new Arcade maps made by prominent community creators with whom we’ve been working over the last year,” began Blizzard in their official update. “These two high-quality premium Arcade maps each offer different kinds of experiences—and when you purchase them, a share of the sales will go directly to the developers who made them.”

Below are the two premium maps being offered:

“If you’ve spent any time in the Arcade community, you might be familiar with map-maker Daniel “Pirate” Altman, winner of 2015’s Rock the Cabinet contest. Now, Pirate has created a ARK Star, a new tactical, turn-based RPG featuring the protoss.

This interstellar adventure follows the Sol Seekers, an elite team of templar on a mission to find and destroy a mysterious weapon known as the ARK Star. Discover and craft new equipment to strengthen your squad, level up and unlock new talents and abilities to customize your play style, and bring the wrath of the templar onto your foes!

The full ARK Star experience will be available soon for $4.99, and a share of the sales will go to its creator, Pirate.”

“For those unfamiliar with the original, Direct Strike pits players against each other in a tactical “tug of war.” Build units to spawn into your staging area, and send them out in waves to assault the enemy base.

Direct Strike will replace Desert Strike HotS in the Arcade, but everything you know and love will still be available in the free version—on top of additional commander modes. Upgrade to the premium version to play four all-new game modes, including Sabotage, which conceals players’ staging areas and allows for unit bans, and Switch mode, where players can change their race mid-game. You’ll also get access to cosmetics to customize your staging area and add some flair to your workers. And if you host a lobby with your favorite premium game mode, anyone playing the free standard edition of Direct Strike can join in on the fun.

The premium upgrade to Direct Strike will be available soon for $4.99, and a share of the sales will go to its creator, Tya.”

There’s a lot coming with the next update. To learn more, and how to contact the creators themselves, check out the official StarCraft II website right here.