StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm ‘s launch event in Melbourne, Australia, went off with much spectacle and anticipation.
Thousands of StarCraft fans swarmed to Melbourne like a Zerg rush to witness the launch event of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm . This wasn’t just a slew of retailers handing out copies of the newly-released game to kids who were more excited about the launch than they were, this was a full-on show. There were show matches, Q & A sessions with Game Director Dustin Browder and one of the 3D artists, and even short films.
The four hour event led up to the inevitable launch of the highly-anticipated StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm , and hardly a moment went by that the excitement dulled. The Q & A session gave detailed information that kept the audience on the edge of their seats, and the heated show matches showed off the new units and strategies that Heart of the Swarm would introduce. Many a player’s eye was glued to the screen as Zerg rushes and other newer unit attacks ensued.
Must like the YouTube community, StarCraft II players and producers were referred to as their gamer tag names. Being called by your gamer tag is a sign that you’ve earned infamy or had a hand in the making of it.
The first show match at the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm launch event was between professional and veteran players mOOnGLaDe (Zerg) and yang (Protoss). In a fitting turn of events, as the game is based on the Zerg storyline, the Zerg emerged victorious. A new mode was shown off at the launch event where you can stop a replay and, with a friend or two, take over the game from there.
Off to the side the whole evening, Blizzard’s Luke Mancini sat working diligently on an impressive digital speed painting that slowly took shape over the course of the evening . The speed painting featured a Hydralisk standing beside Sarah Kerrigan, the once-Queen of the Zerg. Even Blizzard representatives were so impressed that they are hoping to get the art out to fans in the coming weeks.
Prizes were handed out, costumes were judged, and some parody videos made the fans laugh in the event which streamed globally.
What are your impressions of the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm launch event?