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Blizzard is planning to give Xbox Live a run for its money when it launches a revamped Battle.net next year.
Set to arrive as part of the launch for its new online RTS StarCraft II, Activision Blizzard expects the service will become "a true online destination platform – the foundation for connecting millions of gamers across Blizzard’s games" according to CEO Bobby Kotick.
He said the service, which will also support World of Warcraft, will be an important social network for gamers.
It will help organise tournaments and rankings but also include social networking, unified login and account management plus cross game communication.
Kotick said the service is "similar to Xbox Live" and "leverages the technologies and infrastructure and expertise Blizzard has generated over the last 10 years."
"The battle.net platform is an investment in the future of gaming," he added.
"We have more people playing online games than any other company."
Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime added: "Our vision for Battle.net is ambitious – we view the next generation of it as crucial to the future of our company."
