Blizzard unveils StarCraft II

Blizzard unveiled StarCraft II on Saturday in Korea, revealing that the long-awaited PC real-time strategy sequel has been in development since 2003.

The game is "very far along", according to Blizzard, but won't be released until "it's ready".

Speaking at a press conference, company president Mike Morhaine said around 40 people are working on the game and that there are no restrictions with regard to the cost of development or timeline for completing the game.

"We don't really have a budget; we'll spend as much time and resources as we need to make this game great," he said.

StarCraft II will continue to focus on the three factions of the 1998 original - the Protoss, Zerg and Terrans - but will introduce a range of new units and gameplay tweaks designed to enhance and broaden the combat experience.

With the game so popular in Korea, primarily with regard to its competitive multiplayer elements, Blizzard chose to focus on this area as the game was revealed.

The developer said there will be numerous subtleties for high-end players to exploit, with the potential for a more divergent early-game technology tree to increase the range of possible "rush" strategies.

Fans have been told to expect another game about large armies against large armies, with a mostly familiar feel but lots of changes that alter the gameplay in important ways.