Blizzard’s Mike Morhaime confirmed over on the E3 live blog that the highly anticipated sequel to Starcraft is set to release before the close of 2009. However he also noted that as with every Blizzard title, there is a chance it could be delayed because Blizzard only releases games when they are deemed finished and not a minute sooner, no surprise about that.

Below are some highlights from the E3 live blog referring to Starcraft II:

[6:54] The new Battle.net service will launch alongside Starcraft II, which represents a return to the company’s roots.

[6:54] Morhaime talks about the series’ well documented popularity in South Korea, where he says it is akin to a national sport.

[6:55] There will be a Starcraft II beta test later this summer, and Morhaime offers to get anyone in attendance into the program. Morhaime expects to launch Starcraft II by the end of the year, though also notes that it will only ship once the game is done.

[6:56] Morhaime said more about the games will be revealed at BlizzCon, and encourages everyone to attend the August show, which sold out yesterday.