Warcraft 2: Remastered appears to be on the cards, as an “internal alpha” containing a logo and artwork was recently discovered on Blizzard’s servers.

Through WowThe leak comes from Blizzard’s own CDN (content delivery network) servers. One of the big innovations of Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness in 1995 was its focus on naval and aerial combat, and the leaked internal alpha includes artwork showing a human warship sailing on a stormy sea.

Blizzard is currently preparing for the 30th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise and will be hosting a livestream on November 13 to celebrate. The developer has stated that the stream will have “something for everyone,” including fans of the old Warcraft strategy games. There is no BlizzCon this year, so fans are hoping that some big announcements normally reserved for Blizzard’s annual fan convention will be made during the 30th anniversary broadcast.

That certainly makes it seem like Warcraft 2: Remastered will be announced during the live stream, but Blizzard has so far not officially announced the game. It wouldn’t be the first classic Blizzard title to get the remastered treatment, as Blizzard previously remastered the original StarCraft in 2017, as well as Diablo 2 in 2021 as Diablo 2: Resurrected.

Blizzard also notoriously remastered one of the most beloved real-time strategy games of all time with 2020’s Warcraft 3: Reforged. Often hailed as Blizzard’s first “bad game,” the remaster for many fans wasn’t which was originally promised and in many ways felt like a step back from the original Warcraft 3. Reception of Warcraft 3: Reforged was so poor that Blizzard offered refunds “no questions asked”, and a later report claimed that the game was a victim of budget cuts and mismanagement.

There is evidence to suggest that Blizzard could also be remaking Warcraft 3: Reforged. A Blizzard survey asking players about a possible Reforged re-release last year generated headlines. Last month, the game’s public test servers briefly showed an unannounced version 2.0 before being removed several hours later, but nothing has been officially announced.

Not content with waiting for an official remaster from Blizzard, fans have already begun updating Warcraft 2 for the modern era. A fan project, called Warcraft: Chronicles of War, reinvents Warcraft 2 using the Warcraft 3: Reforged engine. Currently, those who already own Reforged can play its Horde campaign for free.

While fans wait for more news during the 30th anniversary livestream, Blizzard has offered several ways to celebrate the franchise in its various games, including Warcraft-themed skins in Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. The latest World of Warcraft update: The War Within focuses almost entirely on the game’s 20th anniversary, allowing players to tackle “Time Walk” versions of the original WoW dungeons and earn updated versions of some of the most iconic armor sets in the game. game.