Project Blackstone has been revealed. For weeks, it was rumored Blizzard Entertainment acquired the Project Blackstone domain name. Speculation was split between whether this was related to the Next-Gen MMO Titan, the unannounced MMO or even Diablo III expansion (considering the name hits close to the Black Soulstone).

Our host Chris Arnone discussed this rumor a few weeks ago (December 17th) in the Blizzplanet Weekly videocast.

All speculation is now crushed. Blizzard Entertainment launched the Project Blackstone website with a cryptic login text-field.

Fans who perused the HTML code found the correct password to access the page is: Y7_$0>0k_3<$m

One doesn’t need to be a genius to figure out what Project Blackstone is related to. No need to even enter the password. The background shows you the StarCraft II Terran Insignia. Sounds like someone at Blizzard loved The Avengers Nick Fury and its S.H.I.E.L.D. logo a lot.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm will be on sale March 12. Exactly 5 weeks from today. Blizzard will update a new teaser each week from what I can see in the links to Twitter and Facebook (within the website). This teaser is named week 1.

From what we can read in the images, Project Blackstone is a secret organization within the Terran Dominion involved into genetic research. One of the images seen in a classified email is a Zerg Larva.

In addition, there are a few real-life Twitter accounts based on Project Blackstone characters continuously tweeting roleplaying dialogues or comments. You can read all of their tweets here.

This whole vibe reminds me of something revealed in StarCraft II: Flashpoint by Christie Golden.

Spoiler Alert

Emperor Mengsk freed Tychus from jail to infiltrate Raynor’s Raiders. It was Dr. Emil Narud’s Moebius Foundation who paid Tychus Findlay for the missions Jim Raynor completed.

All those Xel’Naga artifacts collected by the Raynor’s Raiders were helping the Moebious Foundation to create the Xel’Naga stone that neutralized Kerrigan the Queen of Blades.

Dr. Emil Narud (who many fans speculate might be Duran) is the leader of the Möebius Foundation. In the Flashpoint novel, it is revealed that Narud is actually involved with Emperor Arcturus Mengsk without Valerian’s knowledge. Narud was who created the Zerg/Protoss hybrids in the Space Station Prometheus located within the Kirkegaard Belt. Narud is an expert in Xel’Naga and Zerg matters, seems to have psionic powers and a Xel’Naga amulet that grants him the ability to cloak himself.

Is Dr. Emil Narud behind Project Blackstone? Only time will tell.

What the novel revealed has a domino effect on all the plots found in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Think about it. What was the real intention behind neutralizing the Queen of Blades? Mengsk orchestrated that through Emil Narud. I can’t wait to play through the single-player campaign.

Pre-order your copy of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Collector’s Edition or the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (Standard Edition). (Release Date: March 12, 2013)