Blizzard 'Refocuses' Console Dev, Postpones Starcraft Ghost

In a statement released late last week, World Of Warcraft creator Blizzard Entertainment has announced "plans to focus the company's console-development efforts on the next generation of console platforms", with knock-on effects for its current-gen console game development. As part of this shift in focus, the company announced that it will indefinitely postpone production on the Blizzard Console-created title StarCraft: Ghost, which was due for release on Xbox and PlayStation 2, "while evaluating opportunities for utilizing the additional power of the new and upcoming console systems." StarCraft: Ghost itself has had a troubled development cycle - the game was originally in development at Bay Area-based Nihilistic Software, before switching developer to the Southern California-based Swingin' Ape in July 2004. Swingin' Ape itself was then acquired by the Vivendi-owned Blizzard in May 2005, with Blizzard retaining Swingin' Ape's team of more than 40 developers. According to the company's statement, Blizzard will now "evaluate the next-gen console technology and determine the best plan of action for offering a StarCraft console-gaming experience that meets the company's expectations and those of its players." "Like many in the industry, we've been impressed with the potential of the new consoles, and we're looking forward to exploring that potential further," stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "In addition to allowing us to determine the best course for StarCraft: Ghost, this review period will help us lay the groundwork for our future console games."