StarLite blinks out
by Eric Caoili 
{ Jan 22nd 2008 at 9:45AM }
We all knew it was coming, but that doesn't make StarLite's cancellation hurt any less. The developers behind the unofficial DS port of StarCraft have taken down all traces of the homebrew game, apologizing with a short note: "For legal reasons, we must abandon this project." It's no mystery what transpired -- Blizzard's lawyers
"Didn't we almost have it all?
When love was all we had worth giving?
The ride with you was worth the fall, my friend.
Loving you makes life worth living.
Didn't we almost have it all?"
Gallery: StarLite
[Thanks, Dana!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Starfeeder @ Jan 23rd 2008 10:54AM
Trackback:
http://www.starfeeder.com/blog/archives/starcraft_nintendo_ds_project_starlite/
Yohan @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:16PM
This is what I wrote Blizzard:
To a Not So Smart Company,
I would have bought a DS JUST for Starlite. I hope you guys considered of hiring those programmers for their motivation, ingenuity and creativity. Because it doesn't seem that Blizzard has any since it has taken YEARS to come out with ANYTHING revolving around the Starcraft title. You owe it to the Starcraft fans to at the very least make a SIMPLE port to a DS lite. The popularity of the Starcraft game is still strong, but shame on you for holding out for so long for a new Starcraft title and then raping the hopes of the Starcraft fans by telling some starved yet clever Starcraft fans that their efforts are worthless. As well as the not so talented Starcraft fans hopes are worthless.
Not sure how you all "calculated the costs" of not making the game yourself and then yielding the mad profits from it. Whoever there says what games to make or not make needs to do some serious rethinking on your company strategies. If a couple remedial programmers can make an impressive demo of Starcraft on the DS within a couple months, it doesn't say a whole lot about your entire company who has not provided anything for years.
A Dissapointed Starcraft Fan
jesus_bon_jovi @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:48PM
i don't know if anyone here is familiar with Warfare Incorporated for the Palm http://www.warfareincorporated.com/preview.php i played it a bit on my palm and it works well though i didn't play it too much since i'm not such a big fan of sci-fi RTS. But it goes to show how an RTS game can be played on a touch screen device. Granted though i played it on a 320x480 screen PDA though they have it running on 160x160 palms compare that to the DS' 256x192 and its very possible to have it span across both screens. What they should do is recycle the engine and replace the art.
Roto13 @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:03AM
When will they learn?
ryan @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:37AM
They should have kept it secret until they had a full release and then put it into the intertubes.
Cameron DS @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:39AM
why not restart the project as an original IP starcraft clone.. just change the graphics and remove all the trademarked and copywritten names and storylines.
All the coding has been engineered from scratch so theres no trouble there... Just make a game about a sci-fi battle between the humans, Space-elves, and astrotermites... I'll let you use those names, free of charge.
ehaleen @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:30AM
actually i own the IP on the name "astrotermites"
Chintz @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:57AM
I don't understand why Blizzard doesn't make official DS ports of some of their older games, like they did with those GBA ports. Starcraft and Diablo would work great on the system.
@Cameron DS:
Because taking out all the copyright material means making new graphics, sound, story, level design, game design etc., which turns the whole thing from a port to making an entirely new game. And the only reason anyone cared was because it's Starcraft.
Ryan G @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:49AM
I emailed Blizzard Tech Support in one of my most fanboy-ish letters ever to ask if a Starcraft DS port was ever going to happen. The Starcraft 2 dev page says it's not going to be available on any system other than the PC. But Starcraft (or Warcraft, I'm not picky) on the DS just makes so much sense, considering not only the stylus controls but the built-in wireless, huge player base, and ability to zerg rush my roommate on a 3-inch screen.
Ryan G @ Jan 22nd 2008 11:49AM
I emailed Blizzard Tech Support in one of my most fanboy-ish letters ever to ask if a Starcraft DS port was ever going to happen. The Starcraft 2 dev page says it's not going to be available on any system other than the PC. But Starcraft (or Warcraft, I'm not picky) on the DS just makes so much sense, considering not only the stylus controls but the built-in wireless, huge player base, and ability to zerg rush my roommate on a 3-inch screen.
JC Fletcher @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:03PM
Coming soon: a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PROJECT called "Not StarCraft."
XSlicer @ Jan 22nd 2008 12:31PM
Well, didnt Blizzard once asked what the fans would see in a port of Diablo and StarCraft to portables?....
Chintz @ Jan 22nd 2008 2:01PM
Really XSlicer? Then maybe this cease-and-desist is about more than just protecting their IP. Like when Bungie asked that fan Halo RTS team to stop and then it turned out there was an official Halo RTS in the works...
HellsHammer @ Jan 22nd 2008 3:29PM
This really upsets me. If Blizzard doesn't make a DS version after all of this, I'll be hesitant to give them anymore of my money.
StarCraft 2 or not, people obviously want StarCraft DS. You put it on N64, you may as well put it on a system worthy of the port, Blizzard.
Fiefdom @ Jan 22nd 2008 3:54PM
I dislike the ruthless nature in which small independent projects like this are systematically forced to be abandoned (except for Project Revolution, I guess because it required both StarCraft and WarCraft to be installed...?).
I do not, however, think it would make much sense for Blizzard to port StarCraft to a handheld. Blizzard puts a lot of time into making its games the best that they can be. StarCraft on either the DS or the PSP would be horrible because virtually all of the hotkeys are lost. StarCraft requires a lot more micromanagement than the dumbed down RTS releases of today, it wouldn't be playable without a keyboard. I'm fairly sure that Blizzard learned its lesson in this regard with StarCraft 64, the company isn't going to make a DS port if the DS's architecture is inherently ineffective for StarCraft.
Diablo could potentially work, though.
Tim Parsons @ Jan 22nd 2008 4:25PM
Good for you Blizzard!!!
Sam @ Jan 22nd 2008 5:33PM
Blizzard wouldn't let this happen, @#$@ing Merger.... Activision sucks....
sob...sob... (continues playing the buggy 0.3 release)
iofthestorm @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:29AM
Err, am I the only one who wasn't very impressed by this game? It was horrendously buggy, you couldn't really do much, the pathfinder sucked, and the only thing it had going for it was the ripped starcraft art and music. Warcraft TD has actual gameplay AND ripped graphics/sound, and it's quite fun to boot. Although with their last release I was starting to be convinced that they knew what they were doing since they included multiplayer.
Kwipper @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:25AM
I have a feeling that since Blizzard has decided to shut down the project, chances are that they're working on their own port of the original Starcraft for the Nintendo DS.
Why else would they shut the homebrew project down?
Mr Elusive @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:10AM
Please, don't kid yourselves.
Blizzard didn't do this because they are working on a DS port. They are simply trying to protect their IP. Nothing more. They are nothing like Bungie, so don't compare their C&D habits to them.
And LAWL at the "Blizzard wouldn't let this happen, @#$@ing Merger.... Activision sucks...." comment. They have shut down TONS of community-made game projects involving StarCraft in the past. This is just another statistic.