After years of waiting and listening to rumors of a return-release, StarCraft fans need not wait any further, as this year brings StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. On March 11, gamers in Australia will enjoy the official launch, to be held at Federation Square, Melbourne.

To kick things off and follow the celebration as it spreads across the planet, Blizzard will be cohosting a special 21-hour launch broadcast with noted eSports personality and commentator Sean "Day[9]" Plott, in conjunction with Twitch.tv, at http://www.StarCraft2.com/SwarmLaunch .

Starting at 8:00 p.m. AEDT on March 11, the stream will give viewers around the world the opportunity to watch the Australia, South Korea, France, and US launch events live.

Viewers will also be treated to additional exclusive content, including community-created videos and "King of the Beta" tournament matches between top pro gamers, hosted by Day[9], who'll be transmitting from a bunker deep inside Blizzard's Irvine HQ, the company statement said.

Kerrigan's Quest Unbound

In an online event, publisher and developer Blizzard Entertainment featured a trailer that showcases Kerrigan's journey after the demise of a world.

The second installment picks up from where Wings of Liberty ended, looking closely at Kerrigan's quest to reunite the Swarm and exact her revenge on Arcturus Mengsk.

For StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, you'll go through 20 campaign missions throughout the galaxy, collecting and including zerg species into her army, customize new abilities, and basically create new zerg strains that would serve as her allies.

Gamers will also enjoy new weapons that will be making their debut in the second installment. Terran Hellbats, Zerg Swarm Hosts, and Protoss Tempests are just some of the debuts, while Wings of Liberty will be making a comeback complete with upgrades.

Official releases of the game will also be held in 8 other countries including the US, France, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil, and Mexico.

"The StarCraft community has been anticipating Heart of the Swarm for a long time," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "I believe you will find it was worth the wait."

As an additional bonus to gamer guests, Nick O'Shea, Associate PR Manager of Blizzard Entertainment, said, "When the clock strikes midnight, gamers will be able to pick up their copies of the expansion as well as have them autographed by members of the StarCraft II development team.

Perks of gamer guests

Those who will be attending the official StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm launches will be treated to the coveted chance of owning a standard edition and the retail-exclusive collector's edition, the latter of which contains bonus items that diehard fans will enjoy.

You'll get Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-ray, complete with a developer commentary on the StarCraft universe, interviews with voice actors, and a historical retrospective brought by StarCraft's eSports legacy.

There's also the collector's edition soundtrack CD complete with the 11 tracks featured in the game, a hardcover art book, featuring 144 pages of never-before-seen art, early concept sketches, and 3D drawings, a collector's edition mousepad, a StarCraft II Torrasque, a StarCraft II Portraits and Decals for customization of your online profile and in-game army, and a Baneling companion World of Warcraft In-Game Pet for Pet Battle Scenes.