StarCraft II expansion confirmed for 2015 launch

StarCraft II’s Protoss injection is coming this year.

Activision Blizzard announced during its earnings call today that StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, the next standalone expansion in its sci-fi real-time strategy series, will release in 2015.

That launch confirmation was enough for Activision Blizzard, the largest U.S. game publisher, to add 10 cents a share to its expectations for profit in 2015, resulting in a new estimate of $1.30 a share in net income for the year, instead of $1.20 a share.

The company’s Blizzard Entertainment division is hard at work on StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, the third and final installment in the epic StarCraft II real-time strategy sci-fi series. It’s been a long wait. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the first title in the StarCraft II series, came out in 2010, and its first expansion, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, debuted in 2013.

The single-player campaign focuses on Protoss leader Zeratul and his struggle to unite the alien race against an ancient enemy. But the tale also wraps up the story of Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan, who became the Queen of Blades.

To whet appetites for the new game, Blizzard is releasing a prologue entitled “Whispers of Oblivion.” It has three free missions. These tie together the plots of Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void.