Blizzard has announced yet another move to shed off one of the last remaining bits of their past: dropping Battle.net.

Now before you freak out like I initially did and think their online component is going to be overhauled yet again, fear not. The developer is simply dropping the Battle.net name, in favor of something a bit more brandlike – Blizzard tech.

“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 said in the update.

“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.”

So, to reiterate – Blizzard is bringing their online component more in line with their other services, like Blizzard Streaming and Blizzard Voice. Part of me will forever be sad to see this change, as you could argue this is the last remaining piece of the company’s pre-Activision merger.

Battle.net was first launched way back in 1996, seven years prior to Steam ever existing. How many of you have fond memories endlessly logging onto Battle.net, years ago or more recently? Sound off in the comments below!