StarCraft 2

StarCraft II is a sci-fi RTS game developed by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and is the sequel to the 1998 RTS StarCraft. It is comprised of the original base game, Wings of Liberty, and was followed up by two major expansions, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void. Wings of Liberty was distributed in the Philippines by IAHGames, later by Asiasoft Corporation, and since 2011, through X-Play Online Games.

Since November 2017, StarCraft II's ranked multiplayer and the Wings of Liberty campaign were made free-to-play.[1]

About

Subscription-based Wings of Liberty

Wings of Liberty was distributed in the Philippines by IAHGames and launched on July 27, 2010. The retail launch price was ₱3,500 (around $75 USD),[note 1] making it one of the most expensive base retail games that was ever sold in the country.

In late December 2010, Blizzard implemented an alternative subscription-based scheme to help alleviate the price barrier for certain regions. Players in the Philippines who couldn't afford the retail price could instead opt for 3-day, 7-day, or 30-day prepaid card passes for ₱50, ₱100, and ₱350 respectively.[2][note 2] Live service game publisher Level Up! was appointed by IAHGames as one of the distributors of the prepaid cards.

On October 7, 2011, GigaMedia Limited, the parent company of IAHGames, announced that it had mutually terminated its exclusive distribution agreement with Blizzard Entertainment.[3] Two weeks later, Blizzard announced that it had signed a deal with Asiasoft Corporation for the latter to become the exclusive distributor of Blizzard games in the SEA region.[4][5]

Popularity and esports

RTS games in the Philippines were no longer popular by the time StarCraft II arrived and instead were superseded by MOBA games like DotA-Allstars and League of Legends. Minor tournaments for the game were held in events like the Pinoy Gaming Festival.

The most famous Filipino StarCraft esport player, who also competed in the game's prequel, StarCraft: Brood War, is Caviar "EnDerr" Marquises-Acampado.

Gallery

Notes

  1. Based on July 27, 2010 exchange rate of $1 = ₱46.3982.
  2. Purchasing over 10 months' worth of 30-day prepaid cards would be more expensive than simply buying the base game.

References

  1. StarCraft II Going Free-To-Play, Explained. November 3, 2017. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II — Blizzard News. Retrieved on 2023-03-21.
  2. Starcraft II prepaid cards are now available. December 29, 2010. Jayvee Fernandez. A Bugged Life. Retrieved on 2023-03-21.
  3. GigaMedia Updates Restructuring of IAHGames. October 8, 2011 at 8:00 AM (GMT+8). GigaMedia press release. Bloomberg. Retrieved on 2023-12-05.
  4. Asiasoft to distribute Blizzard games in Southeast Asia. October 19, 2011 at 7:12 PM PDT. Jon Leo. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2023-12-05.
  5. Asiasoft takes Blizzard titles to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. October 19, 2011. Rachel Weber. GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved on 2023-12-05.