Something old Blizzard did that I don't see many other game companies doing, is invest in the art for the game, from visuals to the background music, they had very talented artists from the very start of the project.

Of course most games have descent art, but it has to be elevated to the next level. Starcraft had a unique style with unique music, on top of the good gameplay... but initially the gameplay wasn't anything special. It was the art that kept players hooked and that gave Blizzard time to improve on everything else. I think this is where modern games are failing.

>free to play

>have to pay for the story campaign

>story campaign needs online connection

>generic mobile artstyle

Well let's blame the players that will fix the problems444

RTS as a genre is dead, or maybe fractured. The base builders moved into colony or factory management games like Rimworld or Factorio. The strategic battlers moved into games like Dawn of War. I don't think either type of player was truly satisfied with RTS's but for a long time there was no alternative. There will always be the nostalgia players who try to keep the genre alive, but it will never again be mainstream.