World of StarCraft Mod Created with SC2 Tools

A StarCraft-themed MMORPG is in the works, however it's not by Blizzard and may ultimately suffer the mighty Ban-hammer.

There's a good chance fans of the StarCraft franchise have wanted an MMORPG version since the launch of World of WarCraft. After all, if the popular fantasy-based RTS franchise can be developed into a full-blown, persistent free-roaming realm, why can't the sci-fi-based conflict between humans (Terrans), Zerg and Protoss be just as immersive?

Recently those previously thinking Blizzard's mystery MMOG was World of StarCraft in the making saw their hopes and dreams deflate like a balloon when it was accidentally revealed to be Titan (working title).

However don't cross off the possibility just yet-- at least, not unofficially. As it stands now, one fan is using the StarCraft II map editing tools to generate his own World of StarCraft MMORPG, and so far Blizzard hasn't publicly nuked the project.

In a direct letter to the developer, Ryan Winzen assures Blizzard that his team won't butcher the franchise's standards for quality. "You created a tool that allowed us to do anything with your assets," he said. "You encouraged us to use your assets and were eager to see what we might come up with. You had to have seen this coming? I know it's hard to trust someone you've never met to piggyback on your own legacy. The brilliance of StarCraft combined with the multiplayer focus of World of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. You might be a little worried about your lore being butchered... or even more-so worried about a guy with no supervision tainting the name of your company with poor product."

"Let me assure you that I am in no way shape or form going to deliver anything less than complete perfection," he added.

As it stands now, the project is a work in progress, and it looks as if volunteers are eager to help accelerate its progress. It will be surprising if Blizzard doesn't nuke the project, possibly worried that an unofficial StarCraft MMORPG could pull players away from its current revenue machine, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

UPDATE: Activision Games nuked the YouTube video while writing this article. Additionally, the author received an email from YouTube claiming copyright infringement on behalf of the publisher. Given the number of StarCraft 2 videos that can still be pulled up on YouTube, it will be interesting to see the real reason behind the pulled video. It may simply be that a StarCraft-based MMORPG lies outside Blizzard's broad scope in regards to the StarCraft 2 editor.

Heck, for all we know, Titan just might actually be the working title for World of StarCraft.