Blizzard is well known for its secrecy and therefore its ability to spawn crazy speculation based on minimal information. The World of Warcraft developer recently published a job listing for a Lead Engine Programmer for -- and this is the rumor catalyst, here -- a "Next-Gen MMO."Does this mean Blizzard is developing a Starcraft MMO? Possibly, but any engine this lead programmer is working on will likely not be seen publicly for many years -- just look at intervals between the Unreal engines or Crytek's engines. A requirement for the job is a "high comfort level working within (and adding to) an established code framework." We're sure Blizzard is congnizant that the technology used in WoW can't last forever, and that an upgrade to antiquated code in inevitable.
Of course, there may in fact be a successor to Diablo or Starcraft forthcoming, as the rumors have long persisted, but we're betting this job listing is unrelated to any impending announcement.
[Via WoW Insider]
