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{{SoftwareInfobox | image = Logo-Battle.net-2021.svg | developer = Blizzard Entertainment | publisher = Blizzard Entertainment | type = Digital Platform | platforms = Microsoft Windows,macOS }} '''''Battle.net''''' (formerly '''Blizzard Battle.net''', with the current rename taking place on [[March 31]], [[2021 in video gaming|2021]] back to the original name of the platform) is a free online gaming service originally launched on [[December 31]], [[1996 in video gaming|1996]], along with ''[[Diablo]]'', by [[Blizzard Entertainment]] to facilitate the growth of its current and future video games, namely ''[[Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition]]'' and ''[[StarCraft]]''. Being a wholly closed, commercial venture, and with the complication that use of the service (after the initial investment in a game that uses it) is free, ''Battle.net'' teeters between balance and order often. Blizzard frequently takes, some might say draconian, action in banning game CD-keys and Battle.net account names associated with game exploits, cheating, and game hack modifications. For this and other reasons, the [[bnetd]] project, basically an emulation of ''Battle.net'', was created to allow players to use the online-play capabilities of ''Battle.net'' without having to play by Blizzard's rules (since Blizzard's servers would be cut out of the picture). Under the [[Wikipedia:Digital Millennium Copyright Act|Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), Blizzard ordered the bnetd project to Cease and Desist in early [[2002 in video gaming|2002]]. ==Launcher== During ''[[World of Warcraft: Cataclysm]]'', a new service was envisaged by the developers of [[Blizzard Entertainment]]; a combination of a launcher and friend system culminated in what was first known as the '''Battle.net Launcher'''. This went through several renames; the current name of the client is ''Battle.net'', although it was previously known as the '''Blizzard Desktop App''' and '''Blizzard Battle.net'''. Before the desktop app, games such as ''World of Warcraft'', ''StarCraft II'', and ''Diablo III'' were launched via their own standalone launcher called the '''Blizzard Launcher''', specifically themed for each game, in addition to needing individual download applications obtained from Blizzard's website. The launcher supports the following ''Blizzard Entertainment'' video games, and is currently officially supported on both Microsoft Windows and macOS. * ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' (supported since the ''[[World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria|Mists of Pandaria]]'' expansion, the Beta of the launcher supported the ''[[World of Warcraft: Cataclysm|Cataclysm]]'' expansion.) * The ''[[World of Warcraft: Classic]]'' demo was available via the launcher during the late 2018 beta test, and was listed until it was replaced with the full version upon its launch. This was then joined by ''[[World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic]]'' in 2021. * ''[[Diablo III]]'' and its expansion pack, ''[[Diablo III: Reaper of Souls|Reaper of Souls]]'', plus the DLC ''[[Diablo III: Rise of the Necomancer]]'' * ''[[Hearthstone]]'' * ''[[Heroes of the Storm]]'' * ''[[StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty]]'', and its expansion packs, ''[[StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm|Heart of the Swarm]]'' and ''[[StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void|Legacy of the Void]]'' * ''[[StarCraft: Remastered]]'' * ''[[Overwatch]]'' * ''[[Warcraft III: Reforged]]'' * ''[[Blizzard Arcade Collection]]'' * ''[[Diablo II: Resurrected]]'' The launcher also supports or supported the following video games that have been published by [[Activision]]: * ''[[Destiny 2]]'' (removed on October 1, 2019)<ref>Bungie. (2019-08-08). [https://www.bungie.net/7/en/PCMove Destiny 2 - PC Move to Steam]. Bungie. Retrieved on 2019-08-27</ref> * ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops 4]]'' * ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare]]'' * ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered]]'' * ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War]]'' * ''[[Call of Duty: Warzone]]'' * ''[[Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time]]'' The client itself supports automatic patching for the games outlined above and is able to pre-load expansion content before official release. There is currently no in-launcher support for Blizzard Entertainment's legacy video games ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'', ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', ''Diablo II'', ''[[Diablo II: Lord of Destruction]]'', ''StarCraft'' and ''[[StarCraft: Brood War]]'', and it is currently not possible to even download the original ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' or ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' installers via Battle.net. The Launcher supports two-factor authentication via both the [[Battle.net Authenticator]] and [[Blizzard Mobile Authenticator]]. ==Gallery== <gallery> Logo-Battle.net-1996.png|1996 launch logo Logo-Battle.net-1999.png|1999 logo Logo-Battle.net-1.5.png|Battle.net Classic Logo-Battle.net-2.0.png|Battle.net 2.0 logo Logo-Blizzard-Battle.net.png|Blizzard Battle.net logo </gallery> ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Blizzard Entertainment}} {{Digital Platforms}}
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