Link to the article: http://kotaku.com/blizzard-is-killing-t ... 1786904133It’s the end of an era for Blizzard, as the company announced today plans to say farewell to the name Battle.net, which they’ve used to refer to their internet platform since 1996.
From a practical standpoint, nothing is changing, Blizzard says. But they’re ditching the name Battle.net, 20 years after the service launched. When Battle.net first went live alongside Diablo, it was revolutionary, offering in-game online features and services the likes of which we hadn’t seen until then.
There won’t be a new name for Blizzard’s platform, the company says—they’re just going to refer to it as “Blizzard tech.”
Here’s Blizzard’s full memo:
We’re going to be transitioning away from using the Battle.net name for our gaming service and the functionality connected to it. Battle.net technology will continue to serve as the central nervous system for Blizzard games—nothing is changing in that regard. We’ll just be referring to it as Blizzard tech instead. You’ve already seen this recently with things like “Blizzard Streaming” and “Blizzard Voice,” and more changes are on the way.
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. 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.
We just wanted to make sure everyone was aware as we moved forward with this change over the next several months; we’ll provide any relevant updates as the transition progresses.
Blizzard Is Killing The Name 'Battle.net'
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Yeah I had to reread the article myself to make sure I got what they were saying. I guess Blizzard is removing the name "battle.net" and changing it to something like Blizzard Tech or something stupid.Teigan wrote:Maybe it's cause I just woke up, but this doesn't seem to make much sense?
Lupen202 wrote:Seems kind of unnecessary to me, and will just bring confusion. I guess it's nothing but a name change but after being used to battle.net for nine, almost ten years myself it'll take some getting used to.
Agreed and me too. Again not that I have a choice but I would really like it if they just left it alone.
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Battle.net was released in '96 with Diablo to allow multiplayer access and online interaction. Diablo was, and still is, a combat hack and slash. "Battle" fits that theme pretty well, and it was a network connecting players everywhere, thus: "Battle.net"Wain wrote:It does make sense to re-brand it to Blizzard, and it would make things clearer to new users. Honestly my guess is that they originally chose Battle.net because it was generic and had wider implications and possibilities but in practice it's never really been needed.
Blizzard may have not even intended to use the system past Diablo at all. But with the updates made to it to fit SC and D2, it seemed to work well for primarily solo games in which the service, still a sub-entity of Blizzard, and not a representation of the company as a whole, allowed multiplayer. WoW launched to a completely separate account process, and wasn't even connected to Battle.net until 2.0 dropped in '09. Battle.net couldn't handle every WoW player when the game launched.
Obviously, Blizzard wanted to use a familiar service name in 2009 when they inter-connected their games, and with Battle.net already attached to WC, SC and Diablo, it was probably a suggestion that flew through quickly.
The reason for a change now is this (imo): Blizzard has absolutely 0 separation from the name "battle.net". What was once a sub-entity of the greater Blizzard, has now become the hub for all things Blizzard. Why not change it then to a better fitting name? Other companies do so: Steam, PlayStation, Microsoft. It's just simpler.
TL;DR: "Battle.net" as a name and product served a greater purpose when it was first invented, now that it's synonymous with Blizzard, it's time for a cleanup/name change.
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Wain wrote:It does make sense to re-brand it to Blizzard, and it would make things clearer to new users. Honestly my guess is that they originally chose Battle.net because it was generic and had wider implications and possibilities but in practice it's never really been needed.
My theory is actually really close to this. I've studied law, and specifically copyright law to boot, and we actually discussed Blizzard during class. It was pointed out that having a name like "Blizzard" for a gaming company is actually a smart move, because it's easier to protect under copyright laws. Basically the more unique the name is to that industry the business is in, the better. Which may have also been part of the reason they moved from "Silicon & Synapse" way back when.
"Battle.net" unfortunately does not really share that uniqueness as "Blizzard". A gaming-social connection interface called "Battle.net" is pretty generic terms over all. Instead moving it to "Blizzard tech" brings it into the strength the Blizzard name has in copyright in terms of the gaming industry.
Of course, I can't say for sure that's the reason. I'm not Blizzard, but that would definitely be my guess. Based on some of the cases I've read involving Blizzard and legal suits against other entities, "Battle.net" does come up fairly frequently.
Personally, as long as the actual service isn't changing format, I don't really care what they call it. As long as it functions the same, eh. No sweat off my back lol
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See the realistic - adult in me agrees with this 100%.Rikaku wrote:Personally, as long as the actual service isn't changing format, I don't really care what they call it. As long as it functions the same, eh. No sweat off my back lol
But the weird "doesn't care for change" person in me shudders at it. I think because it's a unhealthy attachment to certain aspects of things. I know that sounds odd and I'm not sure how to explain it.
Really though I understand the change and the more I think on it agree with others. It's really a good idea.
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Not that it matters really. I too find it a little strange that they're changing it, but we will get used to it, of course.
It will probably take a little longer for us old dogs to get used to, when we have known it as Battle.net for 20 years.
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