MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Rebranding is always tricky, especially when said brand has a very big nostalgia and community value. Back in 2016, Blizzard announced that it would be unifying and updating its online gaming service, Battle.net, to simply Blizzard.
The idea was that the simplified name would mean that other ancillary products to the service like streaming and "Blizzard Voice" for example would be easier to brand and to find. However, dedication and brand legacy seems to have won out this time. Well… Almost.
Blizzard has announced that the Battle.net name will remain and will be added to the new Blizzard logo for the online gaming service. It is also now to be referred to as Blizzard Battle.net. The company has admitted in a blog post that they know what the name means to its community.
‘"We suspected that the shift would be challenging," Blizzard Entertainment wrote. "We understood that Battle.net stood for something special—it represents years of shared history and enjoyment, community and friendship, for all of us and our players.
Battle.net is the central nervous system for Blizzard games and the connective tissue that has brought Blizzard players together since 1996. The technology was never going away, but after giving the branding change further consideration and also hearing your feedback, we’re in agreement that the name should stay as well. Take it from the developer formerly known as Silicon & Synapse, and Chaos Studios, names are important too."
