Blizzard Is Getting Rid Of Battle.net, Say Goodbye To The Popular Online Platform

Battle.net has been a mainstay in the online video game industry for many years, largely because it was how players could access Blizzard’s online games, including “Diablo” and most recently, “Overwatch.” However, the company has just announced that they are getting rid of the name to replace it with something less confusing.

As Gamespot notes, Battle.net is by no means an unrecognizable standard in the industry. It’s pretty much one equal grounds with other behemoths like Steam. This isn’t stopping Blizzard from replacing it, however, with something that would likely have the word “Blizzard” on it.

Now, gamers don’t need to panic as everything else about the service will remain the same. Logging in, connecting with friends, and playing games online is not going to be different.

Also, as a blog post by Blizzard points out, the changes have actually begun to take place before they made the announcement. Some examples include “Blizzard Streaming” as well as “Blizzard Voice.” More changes should be expected in the coming months.

So, why exactly is Blizzard doing this? Polygon reports that supposedly, some players find it confusing to relate the platform to the company and its many games.

"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," Blizzard’s post reads.

Now that online multiplayer is pretty much an expected part of the industry, Blizzard felt that they needed to blend its assets in one umbrella in order to make the gaming experience of players more efficient. In essence, Blizzard is getting rid of Battle.net because it’s a relic born in an age when online multiplayer was in its infancy.