Haydn Taylor Senior Staff Writer Friday 27th April 2018 Share this article Share

Companies in this article Blizzard

Taking a page out of the Bethesda playbook, Blizzard is now selling community-made maps for StarCraft II Arcade.

Maps for the StarCraft II Arcade are self-contained game modes and Blizzard has been offering them for free since 2012.

However, since the latest patch released earlier this week, players now have the option to shell out a few dollars for premium maps developed by the community with help from Blizzard.

Premium map creators will receive an unspecified cut of the $4.99 sale price, though StarCraft II production director Tim Morten told Polygon that it "favours content creators".

Developed by Daniel "Pirate" Altmanm during Blizzard's Rock the Cabinet map making contest in 2015, ARK Star is the first of two premium maps currently available.

Direct Strike, meanwhile, was developed by community creator "Tya" who was also responsible for Desert Strike, one of the more popular maps available in StarCraft II Arcade.

While still only a pilot programme, the model could prove a lucrative revenue stream for Blizzard in the long term while also encouraging renewed player engagement in a the eight-year-old game.