Designed to be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game, StarCraft II will feature the return of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races, overhauled and re-imagined with Blizzard's signature approach to game balance.

Each race will be further distinguished from the others, with several new units and new gameplay mechanics, as well as new abilities for some of the classic StarCraft units that will be making a reappearance in the game.

StarCraft II will also feature a custom 3D-graphics engine with realistic physics and the ability to render several large, highly detailed units and massive armies on-screen simultaneously.

Mar Sara

• Population: 80,000+ terrans, unknown zerg
• Allegiance: Kel-Morian
• Diameter/Gravity: 9265 km, 1.09 standard
• Axial Tilt/Climate: 13.5 degrees, +/- 34 Centigrade, very low humidity
• Geography/Major Settlements: 18 small dust seas, 28 upland regions (17 volcanic), 12 major settlements (destroyed), 86 mining outposts, 12 refineries
• Moon(s): 2 -- Pyramus, Thisby (gray, medium size, >2000 km dia)
• Dominant Terrain Classification: Wasteland/mountain/desert
• Dominant Life Forms: Human -- Kel-Morian Combine/Terran Dominion
• Indigenous Life Forms: None/zerg infestation (minor)
• Imports: Mining equipment, personnel, food, water
• Exports: Refined minerals, unrefined ore, vespene gas, terrazine gas, scrap salvage

The Sara system was initially catalogued by freelance prospectors and colonized by an expedition from Tarsonis several years later. Mar Sara formed the eighth of the thirteen core colonies of the Terran Confederacy. The Sara system was unusual for having two habitable planets, but Mar Sara was always a backwater colony compared to the more prosperous Chau Sara.

Mar Sara was one of the first planets to be infested by the zerg when they appeared in terran space. It was also the first planet on which the Confederates fought the advancing Swarm to any significant extent, although most of the actual fighting was done by local militia forces.

Colonel Edmund Duke, commanding officer of the Confederate fleet in the system, subsequently arrested militia forces for fighting for their homes. These prisoners were later released by a rebel group called the Sons of Korhal. The rebels' leader was Arcturus Mengsk.

The Sons of Korhal helped evacuate Mar Sara after the Confederates abandoned it entirely. They also liberated secret information from a Confederacy research facility on Mar Sara called the Jacobs Installation. This information revealed that the Confederacy had known about the imminent arrival of the zerg and had been experimenting with captured specimens. It is believed the Confederacy deliberately sacrificed the planet in order to test a secret weapon that incited the zerg invasion.

To keep the infestation from spreading further, a protoss fleet under the command of Executor Tassadar incinerated Mar Sara from orbit, just as it had with Mar Sara's sister planet, Chau Sara.

After Mar Sara's incineration by the protoss, the Sara system seemed to have little left to offer the terran race. The subsequent collapse of the Confederacy left the system entirely abandoned. Nevertheless, prospectors from the Kel-Morian Combine found that minerals on Mar Sara had acquired unique properties due to the protoss bombardment. Shortly thereafter, the Kel-Morian Combine staked a claim to mining and salvage rights over the Sara system. Independent and indentured contractors soon began strip-mining both planets of their resources.

The Terran Dominion has recently shown a renewed interest in the Sara system and established several outposts there. The Kel-Morian Combine claims that these outposts have been established at the Combine's invitation due to security issues with piracy and mining camp revolts. There have also been reports of zerg sightings on the planet. It is believed that these organisms reinfested the desolate world some time after the protoss bombardment.

StarCraft II will include a unique single-player campaign, as well as fast-paced online play through an upgraded version of Blizzard's renowned online gaming service, Battle.net. In addition, the game will come with a powerful, full-featured map editor that will put the same tools used by Blizzard's designers into the hands of players.

Features:

• Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game
• Three completely distinct races: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg
• New units and gameplay mechanics further distinguish each race
• Groundbreaking single-player campaign
• Vibrant new 3D-graphics engine with support for dazzling visual effects and massive unit and army sizes
• Full multiplayer support, with new competitive features and matchmaking utilities available through Battle.net
• Full map-making and scripting tools to give players incredible freedom in customizing and personalizing their gameplay experience

Blizzard is developing StarCraft II for simultaneous release on the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Further information about the game, including details on the single-player, multiplayer, and map-editor features, as well as system requirements, pricing, and availability, will be announced in the months ahead.