New Portraits & Art for SC's 15th Anniversary!

* Receiving incoming transmission. Comm-link established: *

Greetings, Commanders. The opportunity to celebrate a 15-year anniversary doesn't come around very often, and we're thrilled to share this epic StarCraft franchise milestone with all of you.

Following its release on March 31, 1998, StarCraft warped millions of us through time and space to the 25th century, where we explored the unruly Koprulu Sector for the first time. We built armies and brought ruin to countless enemy bases as we helped the terrans, protoss, and zerg wage war against each other. The release of StarCraft: Brood War just nine months later saw the Queen of Blades become one of the most iconic villains of all time, and the popularization of professional StarCraft competition in South Korea.

Fast-forward through twelve long, anticipation-filled years to 2010, when StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was finally unleashed upon the world. We guided Jim Raynor's actions as he fought valiantly against Arcturus Mengsk's Dominion forces, and cheered on as professional competition, now fondly referred to as StarCraft II eSports, exploded in popularity on a truly global stage. Now, with less than one month behind us since the release of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, we're faced with not just Kerrigan and her ferocious brood, but the realization that time really does fly when you're having fun. In just a few short days, we'll be celebrating fifteen wonderful years of StarCraft.

We're pleased to invite you to take part in the festivities with a brand-new Feat of Strength achievement, as well as three portrait rewards which feature the original Terran, Protoss, and Zerg StarCraft box art.



We feel these portraits pay homage to StarCraft’s remarkable history, and are a great way for everyone to take part in the 15-Year Anniversary. However, those of you who seek to unlock these unique rewards will need to first face a perilous field operation:

Mission Objective:

• Play one game of StarCraft II in any online mode before 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 17. (1 Remaining)

Beginning March 31 now, play one Arcade, Custom, Ranked, Training, Unranked, or Versus A.I. game to earn the StarCraft 15-Year Anniversary Feat of Strength achievement. As soon as you've received the achievement, all three portraits will be permanently unlocked in your StarCraft II character profile.

We know what you're thinking, and no, this isn't an April Fool's joke, though it is important to note that Campaign, Offline Custom Games, replays, and observing your friends' games don't count toward reward progress, so make sure to play in one of the previously listed online game modes. Furthermore, the Feat of Strength will be awarded only after your game is over, so if you leave that 4v4 ladder match early, the achievement will not be given to you until everyone else has left the game as well.



Please join us in celebrating StarCraft's 15th birthday by showing off your new portraits in Battle.net from March 31 to April 17—and we kindly encourage you to share all of your favorite StarCraft memories with us using the #SC15 hashtag on Twitter.

We have one final parting gift that we hope will embolden your forces to victory as you embark on this assignment. Please enjoy the stunning desktop wallpaper image below, which features full-body art for the Terran Marine, Zerg Hydralisk, and Protoss Zealot.



Commanders, the time to act is now. Rally your troops, log in to StarCraft II, and commence the annihilation of your opponents. We await word of your triumphs on the battlefield.

* End Briefing *

On r/starcraft, cloaken wrote:
Luke Mancini really did an amazing job on the 15th Anniversary artwork. He actually managed to create a savvy homage to the famous 20th Century American illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker.

On r/starcraft, xiaorobear wrote:
If any of you SC2 newcomers would like to compare/contrast Mr. Jack's excellent homage to the original 3D campaign models, here they are, in all their animated, 1998 glory:

• Marine
  
• Hydralisk
  
• Zealot

(The accessories they're each standing in front of are also references to the original game's victory screens: The marine's flag is from the Terran victory screen, the hydralisk's skull is from the Zerg victory screen, and the Protoss'... round... doorway thing is reminiscent of the Protoss victory screen.)