StarCraft 2 is going free-to-play later this month

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that one of its biggest strategy titles, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, is going free to play later this month. Following its worldwide success, the publisher made the announcement as a part of its annual BlizzCon conference, with the title currently on track for free-to-play debut on November 14.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty first launched back in 2010 and has since seen a keen following across the globe. Between an active community and expansion packs, the game grew to be one of the biggest names in eSports, however, Blizzard later shifted resources to other projects. With its following on the decline, this recent news should introduce a new wave of players to the title.

Following a move to a free-to-play model, players will gain access to the full single-player campaign. Those with free copies can also play the ranked multiplayer ladder, as well as current and upcoming cooperative commanders up to level five. The game's expansions, Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the Void, and Nova Covert Ops will still be available for separate purchase. This comes shortly after the company announced the original Starcraft would be free back in June.

For those already invested in StarCraft 2, the Heart of the Swarm expansion will be available as a free download. An exclusive Ghost skin and three new portraits will also be up for grabs.

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Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.