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It’s hard to believe, but Blizzard’s Battle.net launched 14 years ago. Over that time, the service has defined itself as one the premier online gaming services. As proof, today there are over “12 million active accounts” worldwide. Last night, on the official StarCraft II website, the new-look Battle.net was nicely detailed by Greg Canessa, Project Director of Battle.net. In addition to a shiny blue look, tons of great features are getting bundled into the service. Best of all, it will continue to service all Blizzard games, and will even serve to enhance the Blizzard community across all IPs. Canessa talks in the interview below about three core pillars of the service that should greatly enhance Blizzard gaming experiences.
The Always Connected Experience: Between persistent characters and always being connected to Battle.net, both inside and outside of the game, players will be able to forge an identity in the community. Additionally, achievement and unlockable rewards systems will be made available for all games, for both single- and multiplayer portions of games. As achievements are garnered, portraits and decals are unlocked that players will be able to feature and trick-out their Battle.net account. Competitive Arena for Everyone: Blizzard is looking to create not only a deep experience, but also one that is inclusive. As such, whether you’re the hardest of core players or want a more casual experience, Battle.net has been redesigned with you in mind. Casual players can play in custom games, co-op vs. AI, and even have access to practice leagues. For competitive gamers, the new auto-matchmaking system is being touted by Blizzard as “the most sophisticated one we’ve [Battle.net] ever created, and one of the most sophisticated in the industry.” According to Cassena “This is a learning system that will learn your skill level as you play through games.” There’s also leagues and a ladder system for structured team play. Connecting the Blizzard Community: Blizzard wants to make sure that the Battle.net community is supported like no other via a service that is malleable to the needs of its members. Of course players will be able to form a friends list, chat (text and voice), participate in cross-game communication, and have access to broadcasts and news. But, because Battle.net is exclusively designed with Blizzard games in mind, Battle.net can “do tightly integrated gaming features specific to our games that other online gaming services can’t pull off.” In other words, look for a lot of “meta-game” additions to Blizzard games through Battle.net. For an even more extensive look, check out the “Preview Interview” below, or head on over to the official site by clicking HERE . |
