Blizzard has been using the Battle.net name since it launched Diablo in 1996. Twenty years later, Blizzard is doing away with the Battle.net name. The service, which started as just an online gaming and platform, has become Blizzard’s digital distribution and digital rights management (DRM) platform on PC.
When Battle.net was created, the very thought of online multiplayer gaming was alien to the general public. The service originally did little more than show game listings for multiplayer and chat rooms for players. A revamp in 2009 allowed the integration of Battle.net accounts across games into a single unified Battle.net account. It also allowed for achievements to be unlocked, and I have never spent time trying to get some stupid achievement in World of Warcraft because I’m a tool…NEVER!
While the service is not going away, Blizzard felt it was time to change the name. In a post on the World of Warcraft website, Blizzard states its decision to drop the name, citing customer confusion.
“When we created Battle.net, the idea of including a tailored online-gaming service together with your game was more of a novel concept, so we put a lot of focus on explaining what the service was and how it worked, including giving it a distinct name,” the post notes. “Over time, though, we’ve seen that there’s been occasional confusion and inefficiencies related to having two separate identities under which everything falls — Blizzard and Battle.net. Given that built-in multiplayer support is a well-understood concept and more of a normal expectation these days, there isn’t as much of a need to maintain a separate identity for what is essentially our networking technology.
“Battle.net technology will continue to serve as the central nervous system for Blizzard games.”
The company will refer to its online and multiplayer features ass Blizzard tech. They have already begun to do so, with features like Blizzard Streaming and Blizzard Voice.
