Battle.net Officially Gone – New Update Rebrands Service to Blizzard App

A staple from my coming of age years included many, many hours logged into Blizzard’s online multiplayer service, Battle.net. Naturally, when the company announced they were dropping that name I held so dearly from my past for something nowhere near as catchy, I was sad at best.

Now, the service has been updated to version 1.8.0, officially rebranding it to simply the “Blizzard App.” This means Battle.net is officially gone and the transition to a cohesive, Blizzard-themed brand is complete, as this was effectively the last remaining piece of the company’s pre-Activision merger.


The only real noticeable differences to the program itself is the removal of the Battle.net logo (featured in the top left of the app, and above) with the modern Blizzard logo, alongside a new “What’s New” message, saying: “We’ve given the App a small makeover to make you feel more at home in the Blizzard universe. Remember, together we are strong!”

Regarding the rebranding of the service, Blizzard previously said that over time “there’s been occasional confusion and inefficiencies related to having two separate identities under which everything falls—Blizzard and Battle.net.” Coming from this, they opted to drop the iconic name, putting everything under the Blizzard brand umbrella.

Battle.net launched over 20 years ago in 1996, alongside the original Diablo, and seven years before Steam even launched. It was known for frivolous things like easy joining of online games, chatting with other players, and regular support from Blizzard. Originally, all of Battle.net ran on a single PC.

Battle.net was updated to a new 2.0 version back in 2009, with more modern features and improved support for StarCraft II, Diablo III and World of Warcraft. The original Battle.net supporting legacy games like StarCraft, Diablo II, and Warcraft III was then renamed Battle.net Classic.

My take: It’s never going to be the same, loading up the newly announced StarCraft Remastered, only to play online via the Blizzard App, and not the Battle.net I so fondly remember over the years.

How many of you have memories playing on Battle.net, years ago or more recently? Sound off in the comments below!

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Owner and Publisher at Niche Gamer and Nicchiban. Outlaw fighting for a better game industry.


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