Battle.net 2.0, Blizzards latest brainchild is to be launched with the release of Starcraft II, one of the most anticipated games of all time. At this years’ Blizzcon Blizzard finally announced a few details about the new Battle.net and what to expect. Seeing as how Blizzard has the...

Battle.net 2.0, Blizzards latest brainchild is to be launched with the release of Starcraft II, one of the most anticipated games of all time. At this years’ Blizzcon Blizzard finally announced a few details about the new Battle.net and what to expect. Seeing as how Blizzard has the reputation of not releasing anything until they feel it is perfect, it was odd seeing what direction they were going to take the new Battle.net. Blizzard stated from the get-go that Starcraft II was designed with E-Sports in mind; however looking at the features and plans they announced at this past Blizzcon, was a little underwhelming.

With current trends leading towards social networking websites such as Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube, it was not surprising to see Blizzard staging an attempt at cashing in on the combined success of their hit video games and the recent phenomenon that is social networking. Blizzard even goes so far as to say,

“The new Battle.net experience is a full-featured online game service designed specifically around Blizzard Entertainment titles, and will include a complete set of around-the-game features including a state-of-the-art matchmaking system, achievement system, social networking features, structured competitive play options, a marketplace, and much more. Our vision is to create an environment where gamers can compete online, develop an online persona, and stay connected to friends and the rest of the community while enjoying our games. (Activision/Blizzard, 2009)


After reading this, and noting little mention of E-Sports ‘features’, it is safe to assume Blizzard is learning from past experiences and oversights with the old Battle.net system.

Blizzard also seems to take note of how ‘creative’ its fans are, even citing the renowned custom game ‘DotA’ in its FAQ. Blizzard discusses its plan of content control in its FAQ, where they say they will allow people to publish their creations via Battle.net. This coming after:

“What will be available to players in the StarCraft II Marketplace?
After the launch of StarCraft II, we aim to add the StarCraft II Marketplace to Battle.net, which will create a vibrant ecosystem of user-generated content, including multiplayer maps, single-player scenarios, challenges, themes, and more.” (Activision/Blizzard, 2009)


Begs the question if Blizzard isn’t more than a little upset at not being able to cash in on the DotA train after seeing its level of success and reach within the E-Sports and general gaming communities. As well, Battle.net 2.0 is to be a free service, unlike World of Warcraft, where users are subject to monthly subscriptions. Does this mean Blizzard intends on using its community by nickel and diming them on their own creations? Not to the addition of creating a social networking system of its own, Blizzard creates a perfect breeding ground for its own Internet superstars to help create additional buzz and exposure.

With all of these new and improved updates and additions to Battle.net, all designed and geared towards Starcraft II and World of Warcraft, question marks still appear around older titles such as Diablo II, and Warcraft III, etc. Blizzard does say that they will eventually update all classic Battle.net games to the newer Battle.net system; however no further information of what that will entail was released.

In the end, it seems as though Blizzard is coat tailing popular consumer trends, and placing a lot of faith in their community to develop more groundbreaking innovations. Blizzard seems to have realized that things such as DotA and the professional Starcraft scene in South Korea are the types phenomena that you can't simply manufacture. Also, that these sorts of phenomena are what create long lasting successful titles such as the ones Blizzard has created in the past. For without any sort of sustainable community surrounding a game-title, it is only a matter of time before the consumers move onto bigger and more lucrative experiences.

So where can Blizzard go from here? Suggestions can be found on the next page.

After Blizzard released details and spoke about what they had planned for Battle.net 2.0, my thoughts and opinions on what Blizzard should do changed drastically. It seems they were already very in-tune with taking social networking seriously, and the way we as Battle.net users connect with each other. However, on the other hand it seems that Blizzard is holding back much of what they promised with their statement; “SCII is a title designed with E-Sports in mind”, by not offering the community, very many features other than a multi-tiered ladder system. Beyond that however, they did not speak much about using their current automated tournament system. They also did not touch base on what they have planned as far as E-Sports goes. Below are a few suggestions I came up with,

Suggestions:

  • It would be good to see Automated Tournaments such as the tournaments they currently run but with actual prizes and incentives to participate. For instance, currently Blizzard uses Intel and NewEgg as sponsors of their online tournaments, but they never give out prizes, etc. If there were bi-weekly or even monthly prizes available to be won, then that would help spark more amateur levels in the E-Sports scene.

  • On top of the smaller regular Automated Tournaments Blizzard could run larger Automated Tournaments at the end of a selected period that incorporate the winners of previous tournaments, offering larger prizes, etc.

  • Blizzard should incorporate the ‘competitive’ maps into the competitive ladders that Blizzard has promised, such as the Pro and Platinum ladders.

  • Blizzard should regularly maintain and update map lists to give a variety to regular players and competitive players alike.

  • The landing portal when you sign into Battle.net 2.0 should have general Blizzard news, as well as, E-Sports news that surround Blizzard titles.

  • The Web Portal for Battle.net 2.0’s ‘event page’ should be updated regularly with Blizzard licensed events.

  • Battle.net 2.0 should come equipped with a fully revamped Anti-Cheat and support system to report people suspected of cheating.

  • For competitive Clans and Teams there should be a Clan War ladder setup. Clans will be randomly matched in a ladder system against another clan in their division/league, they will then be able to view the match page and sign in the players who will compete in the Clan War. At the end of the season, hold playoffs much like any other league. Prizes could be provided by sponsors.

  • A way to get replays of other players. There should be another tab in players’ profiles so you can view and download their past matches. It would simply show a list of the player names who competed in the match (Example, LK.fams vs. LK.Atropos). If players do not wish to have their replays on display, they can simply check that on/off in their profile settings.

  • Specialized Ladder searches for more accurate and refined practice on ladders. For instance, if a player wishes to play only against one race or on one map, they can simply select to do so.

  • Integrate a player spotlight into the landing screen when you log in. At the end of each month, have a ‘player of the month’ spotlight where people can read about the top player on the ladder. At the end of the year, have a ‘player of the year’ spot where only the monthly winners are eligible.

  • It would be nice to have the Battle.net forums accessible from the Battle.net 2.0 client itself. Rather than having to minimize and then type in all of your information, you can simply open them in a window much like Blizzards incorporated chat. This way you can post under your battle.net account and not have to worry about jumping through hoops such as typing in your CD-key when you want to log into the forums.

Table of Contents