Pearce: SCII should be "compelling" for all

Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce believes that everyone who has a crack at StarCraft II should be able to get into it because the game accommodates players on a number of levels.

The real-time strategy game has a reputation for its intimidating speed and depth, but Pearce isn't concerned.

"It's just like World of Warcraft, right?" he told Eurogamer this week.

"With WOW there's all these different types of play, and by far the most intimidating type of play is the PvP element, right? Whether it's open world or Battlegrounds or arenas, it's the most intimidating part.

"But StarCraft II should be a compelling experience for everyone, regardless of how deeply they want to partake of it, just as WOW has compelling experiences depending on how you want to play it."

One example of that is the way the single-player campaign is constructed, with each map offering its own unique challenges. (Check out our hands-on StarCraft II preview to learn about The Dig and Welcome to the Jungle scenarios.)

"Totally. If all we wanted you to do was build up your forces and sweep in and destroy your opponent's base, we don't need to do a lot to design that, and you can get that experience in skirmish against the AI of different skill levels anyway," Pearce said when asked if he saw each map as a sort of puzzle.

"We wanted to make sure that the single-player was different. I mean, it's 29 missions: if you had to play 29 missions of 'build your base and sweep in and destroy things', it would potentially get very boring. We wanted to make sure it was engaging throughout."

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is due out for PC and Mac on 27th July.