September 10, 2026 — Jez Corden reported that Blackbird Interactive is co-developing a strategy game with Blizzard. The studio's name keeps surfacing in BlizzCon rumors, but most WoW players don't know who they are or why they matter. Here's the full picture.
Origins
Blackbird Interactive was founded in 2007 by Rob Cunningham, Aaron Kambeitz, and other veterans of Relic Entertainment — the studio behind Homeworld and Company of Heroes. The studio's name comes from the SR-71 Blackbird, a nod to their aerospace and sci-fi roots.
Their first project was a love letter to the franchise that made their founders famous: Homeworld. But they couldn't use the Homeworld name — Relic owned it. So they built a spiritual successor called Hardware: Shipbreakers, set in the same universe but focused on salvage operations instead of warfare.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (2016)
When Gearbox Software acquired the Homeworld rights and handed them to Blackbird, the studio finally got to make the game they'd been building toward. Deserts of Kharak was a ground-based RTS set on the desert planet Kharak, serving as a prequel to the original Homeworld.
The game reviewed well (81 Metacritic) and proved Blackbird could deliver a polished, narrative-driven RTS. It also demonstrated something important: Blackbird understood how to honor a legacy franchise while making something new.
Homeworld 3 (2024)
Homeworld 3 launched in May 2024 to mixed reviews (72 Metacritic). Critics praised the visuals and scale but criticized the mission design and pacing. The game sold modestly.
But the real story was what Blackbird learned: how to manage a large-scale RTS project under pressure, how to work with a publisher (Gearbox/Embracer), and how to ship a finished product even when things go wrong.
Warcraft Remastered (2024)
In 2024, Blackbird Interactive partnered with Blizzard on Warcraft Remastered — a ground-up rebuild of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.
The project was significant for two reasons. First, it was Blackbird's first collaboration with Blizzard. Second, it proved the studio could work within Blizzard's ecosystem — their tools, their pipeline, their standards.
Warcraft Remastered launched in early 2024. Reviews were mixed, but the project demonstrated that Blackbird and Blizzard could work together on a legacy franchise.
The rumored RTS co-development
Corden's report says Blackbird is now co-developing a strategy game with Blizzard. GamingBolt confirmed the Blackbird connection and added that the two studios "had worked together relatively recently on the remastered versions of the original Warcraft and its 1995 sequel."
What could this be? Three possibilities:
New Warcraft RTS. The most exciting option. A full Warcraft 4 or a Warcraft 3 expansion built with Blackbird's RTS expertise. Corden has mentioned "Warcraft Chronicles" as a codename.
StarCraft RTS. Blackbird's Homeworld DNA makes them a natural fit for StarCraft. A new StarCraft expansion or a StarCraft 3 prototype could be in development.
Another remaster. Warcraft 3: Reforged was a disaster. A Blackbird-led rebuild could redeem the franchise. But the leaked content suggests something new, not a rebuild.
Why Blackbird matters for BlizzCon
Blackbird Interactive is one of the few studios in the world with deep RTS expertise. Relic is struggling (Company of Heroes 3 launched in rough shape). Petroglyph (another Relic alumni studio) is working on smaller projects. Blackbird is the best option Blizzard has for a serious RTS investment.
If Blizzard is going back to RTS roots — and the Corden reports suggest they are — Blackbird is the partner that makes it possible.
Sources
- GamingBolt: "Homeworld 3 Studio is Working With Blizzard On a Strategy Game – Rumor" (September 9, 2026)
- Windows Central / Jez Corden: Blackbird Interactive co-developing RTS with Blizzard
- Blackbird Interactive: founded 2007, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (2016), Homeworld 3 (2024), Warcraft Remastered (2024)