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Battle.net renamed Blizzard Battle.net

Bigger name change rejected, new logo erected.

For nearly a year Blizzard has been threatening to change the name of its proprietary online multiplayer service Battle.net to the more on-brand Blizzard.net. That is the name of the company, after all, which would theoretically make things less confusing. However, after a scant few months under the new monicker Blizzard rethought this approach because the Battle.net name has been around for over 20 years (since the studio launched Diablo in 1996). Changing it now has led to bewilderment.

So instead Blizzard announced a slightly different alteration of the service's moniker. It shall henceforth be known as Blizzard Battle.net.

"When we announced that we'd be transitioning away from the Battle.net name for our online-gaming service, we suspected that the shift would be challenging," Blizzard wrote in its official blog. "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."

"After giving the branding change further consideration and also hearing your feedback, we're in agreement that the name should stay as well," the company added, hence its decision to not alter the name in any meaningful way.

While pretty much everyone will still simply called the service Battle.net, this new official name will carry a new logo, making it clear to all that the somewhat generically named service is the work of Blizzard and not a third-party entity.

What do you make of the name change - or lack thereof?