It did take a while (and it will take longer for them to finish) but Blizzard is working on Starcraft II. But did it really take them almost 10 years to announce a sequel to one of the most successful RTS franchises of all time?

Blizzard's Bob Colayco spoke last night during AMD's "Cinema 2.0" event in New York and explained what took the company so long to unveil the fan-demanded sequel. He said that since Starcraft was built on a 2D engine back then, the developers took their time to figure out how to translate the original game's feel with 3D graphics. "The truth is that only recently have we had this kind of 3D power where we're able to create a real Starcraft experience in 3D," Colayco said.

He emphasized on Starcraft's signature on-screen mayhem would be a mandatory element to the sequel because "that's the kind of gaming experience that our players expect from [Blizzard]." Starcarft II will be out "when it's ready" for the PC and Macintosh platforms.

Joystiq: Blizzard's Bob Colayco explains why Starcraft II took so long