<s>
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
was	O
a	O
military	O
science	O
fiction	O
stealth-action	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
part	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
StarCraft	B-Application
series	O
and	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Nihilistic	O
Software	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nihilistic	O
Software	O
ceded	O
development	O
to	O
Swingin	B-Application
 '	I-Application
Ape	I-Application
Studios	I-Application
in	O
2004	O
before	O
Blizzard	O
bought	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
and	O
plans	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
version	O
were	O
canceled	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
2006	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
put	O
on	O
"	O
indefinite	O
hold	O
"	O
while	O
the	O
company	O
investigated	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
possibilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
continued	O
delay	O
of	O
Ghost	O
caused	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
labeled	O
vaporware	B-Application
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
ranked	O
fifth	O
in	O
Wired	O
News	O
annual	O
Vaporware	B-Application
Awards	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
its	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
predecessor	O
StarCraft	B-Application
,	O
Ghost	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
,	O
and	O
intended	O
to	O
give	O
players	O
a	O
closer	O
and	O
more	O
personal	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
StarCraft	B-Application
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Nova	O
,	O
a	O
Terran	O
psychic	O
espionage	O
operative	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
ghost	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
have	O
been	O
set	O
four	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
and	O
cover	O
a	O
conspiracy	O
about	O
a	O
secretive	O
military	O
project	O
conducted	O
by	O
Nova	O
's	O
superiors	O
in	O
the	O
imperial	O
Terran	O
Dominion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Very	O
little	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
storyline	O
has	O
been	O
released	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
in	O
November	O
2006	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
postponement	O
,	O
a	O
novel	O
was	O
published	O
called	O
StarCraft	B-Device
Ghost	I-Device
:	O
Nova	O
,	O
which	O
covers	O
the	O
backstory	O
of	O
the	O
central	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghosts	I-Device
gameplay	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
character	O
Nova	O
used	O
stealth	O
and	O
darkness	O
to	O
reach	O
objectives	O
and	O
remain	O
undetected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	O
was	O
also	O
equipped	O
with	O
thermal	B-Algorithm
imaging	I-Algorithm
goggles	O
and	O
a	O
special	O
EMP	O
device	O
for	O
disabling	O
electronic	O
devices	O
and	O
vehicles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
focus	O
on	O
stealth	O
elements	O
,	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
included	O
a	O
complex	O
combat	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
included	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
vehicle	O
units	O
featured	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
and	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
differed	O
from	O
the	O
stealth-based	O
mechanics	O
of	O
the	O
single-player	O
portion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ghost	O
incorporated	O
traditional	O
game	O
modes	O
from	O
multiplayer	O
video	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
deathmatch	O
,	O
capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
flag	I-Application
,	O
and	O
king	O
of	O
the	O
hill	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
introduced	O
two	O
game	O
modes	O
specifically	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
StarCraft	B-Application
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
team-based	O
game	O
modes	O
,	O
teams	O
had	O
access	O
to	O
four	O
Terran	O
unit	O
classes	O
:	O
light	O
infantry	O
,	O
marine	B-Application
,	O
firebat	O
,	O
and	O
ghost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
light	O
infantry	O
class	O
had	O
minimal	O
armor	O
but	O
a	O
larger	O
range	O
of	O
weapons	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
marine	B-Application
was	O
a	O
heavily	O
armored	O
soldier	O
with	O
an	O
assault	O
rifle	O
and	O
grenades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
firebat	O
was	O
a	O
heavy	O
marine	B-Application
armed	O
with	O
a	O
flamethrower	O
and	O
napalm	O
rockets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ghost	O
took	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
fictional	O
universe	O
of	O
the	O
StarCraft	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ghost	O
took	O
place	O
four	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
Zerg	O
become	O
the	O
dominant	O
power	O
in	O
the	O
sector	O
and	O
leave	O
both	O
the	O
Protoss	O
and	O
the	O
Dominion	O
in	O
ruins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
canceled	O
,	O
the	O
backstory	O
for	O
Nova	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
novel	O
StarCraft	B-Device
Ghost	I-Device
:	O
Nova	O
by	O
Keith	O
R	O
.	O
A	O
.	O
DeCandido	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
novel	O
,	O
Nova	O
is	O
a	O
fifteen-year-old	O
girl	O
and	O
daughter	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
ruling	O
families	O
of	O
the	O
Confederacy	O
of	O
Man	O
,	O
an	O
oppressive	O
government	O
featured	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
into	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
this	O
that	O
Nova	O
finishes	O
her	O
training	O
and	O
is	O
dispatched	O
in	O
operations	O
against	O
the	O
Koprulu	B-Device
Liberation	I-Device
Front	I-Device
,	O
a	O
rebel	O
group	O
that	O
challenges	O
Mengsk	O
's	O
empire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
announced	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
fellow	O
video	O
game	O
company	O
Nihilistic	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nihilistic	O
aimed	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
in	O
late	O
2003	O
,	O
which	O
elicited	O
positive	O
reactions	O
from	O
the	O
press	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2004	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
began	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Swingin	B-Application
 '	I-Application
Ape	I-Application
Studios	I-Application
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
bought	O
the	O
company	O
in	O
May	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
2005	O
,	O
Ghost	O
was	O
officially	O
reannounced	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
version	O
was	O
canceled	O
by	O
Swingin	B-Application
 '	I-Application
Ape	I-Application
Studios	I-Application
due	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
online	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
efforts	O
of	O
Swingin	B-Application
 '	I-Application
Ape	I-Application
,	O
Ghost	O
failed	O
to	O
materialize	O
as	O
scheduled	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
March	O
2006	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
announced	O
an	O
indefinite	O
postponement	O
on	O
development	O
of	O
Ghost	O
while	O
the	O
company	O
explored	O
new	O
options	O
with	O
the	O
emerging	O
seventh	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
was	O
suspended	O
,	O
Keith	O
R	O
.	O
A	O
.	O
DeCandido	O
's	O
novel	O
StarCraft	B-Device
Ghost	I-Device
:	O
Nova	O
was	O
published	O
several	O
months	O
later	O
in	O
November	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Complementing	O
Nihilistic	O
's	O
and	O
Swingin	B-Application
 '	I-Application
Ape	I-Application
Studio	O
's	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
cinematics	O
team	O
—	O
originally	O
formed	O
to	O
develop	O
StarCrafts	O
cut	O
scenes	O
—	O
created	O
the	O
cut	O
scenes	O
for	O
Ghosts	O
single-player	O
campaign	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
integral	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
storyline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
,	O
which	O
originally	O
consisted	O
of	O
six	O
people	O
,	O
grew	O
to	O
25	O
,	O
and	O
used	O
newer	O
hardware	O
,	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
cinematics	O
techniques	O
to	O
create	O
higher	O
quality	O
cut	O
scenes	O
than	O
those	O
featured	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
and	O
Brood	B-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
protagonist	O
,	O
Nova	O
,	O
shows	O
up	O
in	O
one	O
campaign	O
mission	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wings	I-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
are	O
given	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
side	O
with	O
her	O
or	O
fight	O
against	O
her	O
forces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
also	O
features	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heart	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
her	O
own	O
campaign	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morhaime	O
later	O
elaborated	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
sudden	O
success	O
of	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
and	O
the	O
concurrent	O
development	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	O
that	O
consumed	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
resources	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
Ghost	O
being	O
put	O
on	O
hold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
announcements	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
video	O
games	O
industry	O
's	O
journalists	O
now	O
list	O
Ghost	O
as	O
canceled	O
and	O
consider	O
it	O
vaporware	B-Application
;	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
ranked	O
fifth	O
in	O
the	O
2005	O
edition	O
of	O
Wired	O
News	O
annual	O
Vaporware	B-Application
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
23	O
,	O
2014	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Polygon	O
about	O
the	O
cancellation	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
next	O
generation	O
MMO	O
Titan	B-Protocol
,	O
Mike	O
Morhaime	O
confirmed	O
that	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
was	O
also	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morhaime	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
It	O
was	O
hard	O
when	O
we	O
canceled	O
Warcraft	B-Application
Adventures	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
hard	O
when	O
we	O
canceled	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
,	O
but	O
it	O
has	O
always	O
resulted	O
in	O
better-quality	O
work.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
July	O
2016	O
Polygon	O
article	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
suggested	O
that	O
when	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
production	O
halted	O
the	O
main	O
reasons	O
it	O
was	O
shelved	O
were	O
because	O
the	O
game	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
scheduled	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
2005	O
when	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
was	O
about	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
would	O
take	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
resources	O
to	O
move	O
from	O
the	O
previous	O
console	O
generation	O
to	O
the	O
current	O
generation	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Blizzard	O
having	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
success	O
with	O
its	O
then	O
recently	O
released	O
PC-only	O
game	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
videos	O
appearing	O
to	O
be	O
from	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
cancelled	O
game	O
started	O
appearing	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reports	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
development	O
version	O
game	O
files	O
leaking	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
started	O
to	O
emerge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
the	O
files	O
widely	O
disseminated	O
online	O
through	O
filesharing	O
methods	O
such	O
as	O
public	O
torrent	B-Protocol
trackers	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
time	O
a	O
playable	O
,	O
albeit	O
unfinished	O
and	O
rough	O
,	O
version	O
of	O
a	O
cancelled	O
Blizzard	O
game	O
has	O
leaked	O
online	O
,	O
with	O
Warcraft	B-Application
Adventures	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lord	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Clans	I-Application
being	O
leaked	O
online	O
in	O
September	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
