Starcraft II to introduce global play, multiplayer replays, more

Blizzard will bring a much-requested feature to Starcraft II at or around the launch of Heart of the Swarm, allowing players from different territories to play together.

Global play was announced for Diablo III last week, with Blizzard confirming the feature is on the way to Starcraft II in a new developer blog.

The post also outed a number of other eSports (or eSports training)-friendly features including resume from replay for multiplayer matches, multiplayer replay viewing and a clan or group system.

Additionally, Blizzard intends to allow unranked matchmaking, and to add in support for multiple languages.

Zerg-centric expansion Heart of the Swarm is expected later this year; you can get a sneak preview at the MLG Spring Championship in June, and those who participate in Blizzard's Arcade testing will have a better chance at getting into the beta.