Chinese giant publisher Tencent has set up a new studio with the modest goal of creating the next StarCraft.

Lead designer David Kim, who spent much of his time developing StarCraft 2 at Blizzard before moving on to Warcraft and Diablo, is one of two Blizzard veterans heading Tencent's newly formed Uncapped Games in LA. According to GamesIndustry.biz, Kim called the offer a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," fulfilling a long-held desire to return to real-time strategy.

"I've been wanting to try another RTS game for a very long time, almost 10 years now. 'If you make a sequel to an RTS, there are things you have to put in that game to make it a sequel. But if you make it an entirely new game, it opens up a lot more possibilities in terms of game design and allows us to do what we most want to execute. I think that's the advantage we have here."

In addition to Kim, lead producer Jason Hughes has served as lead producer on "Diablo 3" and "Diablo 4" (and "Hawken" before that). He added that Tencent has "a lot of interest in RTS" and that the CEO in particular "wants us to make great games."

It's an ambitious dream, especially given the dire situation the genre is in; the height of RTS was decades ago, and it's telling that StarCraft 2, more than a decade old, is still one of the most popular games. Last year, Fraser asked, "Can real-time strategy come back from the brink of death?" and wasn't too sure. But who knows?" maybe Uncapped Games will change that.

Besides setting up new studios, Tencent has been on an investment offensive for the past few years. The publishing giant invested money in more than 31 studios last year and recently purchased a majority stake in Spec Ops: The Line developer Yager.