Blizzard Throw Shade At EA As StarCraft II Goes Free To Play

StarCraft II’s first campaign, Wings of Liberty, has gone free to play today in a nice gesture by Blizzard to open the seven year old game up to more people. Blizzard also took the opportunity to throw a few thinly veiled barbs at their friends at EA and DICE, who are currently embroiled in the public pushback against their use of loot crates and microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II.

Number of hours it takes to earn the full StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Campaign: 0

— StarCraft (@StarCraft) November 14, 2017

Number of hours before you can play ANY Co-op Commander in StarCraft II: 0

— StarCraft (@StarCraft) 14 November 2017

Number of pay-to-win mechanics in StarCraft II: 0

Free to Play – Now Live! pic.twitter.com/a02OYUCYZU

— StarCraft (@StarCraft) 14 November 2017

While Blizzard have the moral high ground in this particular comparison, let’s not forget that they are also a big part of the huge company known as Activision Blizzard. While often praised, Blizzard’s own Overwatch has helped to make loot boxes an accepted part of video games, a gateway for the more objectionable loot crates in Battlefront II. Activision’s hands are dirtied by the way that they push loot boxes within Call of Duty WWII, with them falling from the sky onto the beaches of Normandy and in-game rewards for watching other people open boxes. Oh, and then there’s this matchmaking patent.

So, sick burns Blizzard, but don’t get too cocky.