<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
is	O
an	O
Internet-based	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
social	O
networking	O
service	O
,	O
digital	O
distribution	O
,	O
and	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
platform	O
developed	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
launched	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
followed	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
later	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
action-role-playing	B-Application
video	O
game	O
Diablo	B-Application
on	O
January	O
3	O
,	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
officially	O
renamed	O
to	O
"	O
Blizzard	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
 "	O
in	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
change	O
being	O
reverted	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
the	O
first	O
online	O
gaming	O
service	O
incorporated	O
directly	O
into	O
the	O
games	O
that	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
it	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
external	O
interfaces	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
other	O
online	O
services	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
ease	O
of	O
account	O
creations	O
and	O
the	O
absence	O
of	O
member	O
fees	O
,	O
caused	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
to	O
become	O
popular	O
among	O
gamers	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
major	O
selling	O
point	O
for	O
Diablo	B-Application
and	O
subsequent	O
Blizzard	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
successful	O
launch	O
of	O
Battle.net,	O
many	O
companies	O
have	O
created	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
services	O
mimicking	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
service	O
package	O
and	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
officially	O
unveiled	O
the	O
revamped	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
2.0	O
on	O
March	O
20	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
later	O
revealed	O
further	O
details	O
of	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
revamped	O
features	O
at	O
BlizzCon	O
2009	O
which	O
supported	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
,	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
then	O
renamed	O
to	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
Classic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
Classic	O
games	O
use	O
a	O
different	O
account	O
system	O
to	O
the	O
games	O
on	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
currently	O
supports	O
storefront	O
actions	O
,	O
social	O
interactions	O
,	O
and	O
matchmaking	O
for	O
all	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
modern	O
PC	O
games	O
including	O
Hearthstone	B-Application
,	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Storm	I-Application
,	O
Overwatch	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
and	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Remastered	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
various	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
games	O
,	O
and	O
Crash	B-Application
Bandicoot	I-Application
4	I-Application
:	I-Application
It	I-Application
's	I-Application
About	I-Application
Time	I-Application
from	O
corporate	O
sibling	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
provides	O
cross-game	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
and	O
voice	B-Application
chat	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
released	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
application	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
service	O
initially	O
launched	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
1996	O
(	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
using	O
the	O
service	O
being	O
Diablo	B-Application
releasing	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
later	O
on	O
January	O
3	O
,	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
offered	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
basic	O
services	O
like	O
chatting	O
and	O
game	O
listings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
could	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
talk	O
with	O
other	O
gamers	O
and	O
join	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
of	O
Diablo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
user	O
account	O
data	O
,	O
no	O
game	O
data	O
was	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
data	O
was	O
sent	O
through	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
in	O
1998	O
increased	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
service	O
significantly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
grew	O
even	O
larger	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
expansion	O
pack	O
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
with	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
players	O
logged	O
on	O
at	O
any	O
given	O
time	O
(	O
even	O
in	O
the	O
present	O
day	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
especially	O
successful	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
logged	O
on	O
was	O
often	O
many	O
times	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
also	O
brought	O
with	O
it	O
a	O
new	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
scheme	O
using	O
CD	B-Application
keys	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
Diablo	B-Application
,	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
would	O
allow	O
any	O
client	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
StarCraft	B-Application
,	O
only	O
those	O
players	O
with	O
a	O
valid	O
and	O
unique	O
CD	B-Application
key	I-Application
–	O
a	O
generated	O
13-digit	O
number	O
distributed	O
with	O
each	O
boxed	O
game	O
–	O
were	O
allowed	O
onto	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
one	O
person	O
could	O
connect	O
to	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
using	O
a	O
specific	O
CD	B-Application
key	I-Application
at	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD-Keys	B-Application
could	O
also	O
be	O
muted	O
(	O
unable	O
to	O
chat	O
in	O
channels	O
or	O
whisper	O
)	O
,	O
voided	O
(	O
restricted	O
to	O
The	O
Void	O
channel	O
)	O
,	O
jailed	O
(	O
both	O
muted	O
and	O
voided	O
)	O
or	O
banned	O
from	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
entirely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Every	O
Blizzard	O
game	O
since	O
StarCraft	B-Application
has	O
used	O
the	O
CD	B-Application
key	I-Application
system	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brood	I-Application
War	I-Application
used	O
as	O
its	O
CD-key	B-Application
whatever	O
CD-key	B-Application
was	O
found	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
StarCraft	B-Application
on	O
that	O
computer	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
thus	O
only	O
installable	O
if	O
the	O
original	O
was	O
already	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Gateway	O
system	O
in	O
Brood	B-Application
War	I-Application
(	O
selectable	O
regional	O
server	O
clusters	O
)	O
,	O
two	O
players	O
can	O
play	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
they	O
are	O
on	O
different	O
gateways	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2000	O
to	O
much	O
fanfare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
highlight	O
of	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
it	O
relates	O
to	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
used	O
the	O
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
model	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
also	O
meant	O
that	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
data	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
has	O
an	O
open	O
character	O
feature	O
on	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
which	O
stored	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
character	O
on	O
the	O
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
characters	O
locally	O
or	O
on	O
a	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
then	O
use	O
those	O
same	O
characters	O
on	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
any	O
open	O
games	O
played	O
on	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
were	O
not	O
protected	O
from	O
cheating	O
by	O
other	O
players	O
since	O
they	O
could	O
have	O
modified	O
their	O
characters	O
locally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
also	O
had	O
a	O
unique	O
feature	O
that	O
would	O
show	O
the	O
players	O
in	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
chat	O
room	O
as	O
avatars	B-Application
who	O
looked	O
like	O
their	O
characters	O
did	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
used	O
a	O
different	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
interface	O
than	O
previous	O
games	O
,	O
where	O
previously	O
there	O
were	O
mainly	O
only	O
color	O
differences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Again	O
,	O
with	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
usage	O
of	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
increased	O
steadily	O
,	O
climbing	O
even	O
higher	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
expansion	O
pack	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lord	I-Application
of	I-Application
Destruction	I-Application
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Reign	I-Application
of	I-Application
Chaos	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2002	O
and	O
its	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Frozen	I-Application
Throne	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
revamped	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
in	O
2009	O
and	O
officially	O
unveiled	O
on	O
March	O
20	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
further	O
elaborated	O
on	O
during	O
BlizzCon	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
contains	O
three	O
unique	O
sections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
connect	O
all	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
accounts	O
,	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
characters	O
and	O
friends	O
list	O
together	O
and	O
integrate	O
them	O
into	O
a	O
unified	O
single	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
also	O
unlock	O
achievements	O
in-game	O
which	O
would	O
in	O
turn	O
unlock	O
avatars	B-Application
and	O
decals	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
shown	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
profile	O
,	O
the	O
decals	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
seen	O
in-game	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
section	O
consists	O
of	O
making	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
into	O
a	O
competitive	O
platform	O
for	O
players	O
which	O
involves	O
a	O
new	O
improved	O
matchmaking	O
system	O
,	O
simplifying	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
players	O
organizing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
party	O
system	O
works	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
where	O
players	O
with	O
friends	O
would	O
join	O
together	O
and	O
enter	O
games	O
as	O
a	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
section	O
involves	O
the	O
new	O
chat	O
system	O
which	O
involves	O
a	O
new	O
system	O
similar	O
to	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
across	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
initially	O
did	O
not	O
support	O
Battle.net,	O
having	O
separate	O
accounts	O
from	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
once	O
until	O
the	O
revamp	O
of	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
on	O
March	O
20	O
,	O
2009	O
which	O
forced	O
players	O
to	O
merge	O
their	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
accounts	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
features	O
of	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
utilized	O
in	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
include	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
cross-realm	O
,	O
cross-faction	O
and	O
cross-game	O
chat	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
talk	O
with	O
their	O
friends	O
on	O
their	O
Real	O
ID	O
friends	O
list	O
,	O
from	O
other	O
factions	O
,	O
other	O
servers	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
11	O
,	O
2009	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
made	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
a	O
mandatory	O
feature	O
for	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
natively	O
support	O
the	O
new	O
revamped	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
online	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
split	O
into	O
three	O
installments	O
:	O
the	O
base	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
subtitle	O
Wings	B-Application
of	I-Application
Liberty	I-Application
,	O
expansion	O
pack	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
,	O
stand-alone	O
expansion	O
pack	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
and	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
mission	O
packs	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
interface	O
includes	O
a	O
chat	O
service	O
which	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messengers	I-Application
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
interact	O
across	O
different	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
also	O
supports	O
VoIP	B-Application
for	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
5	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
revealed	O
that	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
2.0	O
would	O
be	O
integrated	O
with	O
social	O
networking	O
site	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
"	O
linking	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
premier	O
online	O
gaming	O
platform	O
with	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
most	O
popular	O
social	O
platform	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
released	O
an	O
open	O
beta	O
for	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
Launcher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
launches	O
its	O
own	O
cross-game	O
voice	B-Application
chat	I-Application
service	O
in	O
October	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
Voice	O
is	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
introduced	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
obtain	O
Blizzard	O
storefront	O
credit	O
by	O
trading	O
in	O
"	O
WoW	B-Protocol
Tokens	O
"	O
from	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
,	O
bought	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
in-game	O
gold	O
and	O
initially	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
of	O
trading	O
credits	O
between	O
players	O
of	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
credits	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
purchase	O
other	O
Blizzard	O
games	O
or	O
content	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
card	O
packs	O
for	O
Hearthstone	B-Application
or	O
loot	O
boxes	O
for	O
Overwatch	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	O
version	O
of	O
Destiny	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Bungie	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
corporate	O
sibling	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
Activision	O
,	O
was	O
exclusively	O
sold	O
and	O
launched	O
through	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
on	O
its	O
Windows	O
release	O
on	O
October	O
24	O
,	O
2017	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
used	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
matchmaking	O
capabilities	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
first	O
non-Blizzard	O
game	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
launcher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
affirmed	O
that	O
players	O
can	O
use	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
in	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
to	O
generate	O
credit	O
towards	O
their	O
Blizzard	O
account	O
that	O
they	O
can	O
use	O
towards	O
purchase	O
of	O
Destiny	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
also	O
"	O
potentially	O
evaluating	O
needs	O
or	O
opportunities	O
for	O
future	O
Activision	O
games	O
"	O
to	O
be	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
;	O
with	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Black	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
4	I-Application
,	O
scheduled	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
late	O
2018	O
,	O
as	O
its	O
second	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destiny	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
removed	O
from	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
on	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
after	O
Bungie	O
and	O
Activision	O
amicably	O
terminated	O
the	O
publishing	O
deal	O
,	O
with	O
Bungie	O
transitioning	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
Steam	B-Application
instead	O
after	O
that	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
update	O
for	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
was	O
issued	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
aimed	O
to	O
provide	O
better	O
visibility	O
of	O
news	O
and	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
friends	O
list	O
,	O
accessibility	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
navigation	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
released	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
application	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
provides	O
simple	O
social	O
networking	O
features	O
with	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
friends	O
on	O
Battle.net,	O
including	O
accepting	O
and	O
sending	O
friend	O
invitations	O
and	O
chatting	O
with	O
friends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2016	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
rebrand	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
CEO	O
Mike	O
Morhaime	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
found	O
themselves	O
in	O
a	O
position	O
where	O
they	O
had	O
two	O
competing	O
brands	O
-	O
Blizzard	O
and	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
-	O
creating	O
confusion	O
for	O
players	O
of	O
where	O
to	O
find	O
information	O
about	O
their	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
wanted	O
to	O
consolidate	O
the	O
branding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
first	O
step	O
was	O
a	O
plan	O
to	O
retire	O
the	O
"	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
 "	O
name	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
calling	O
service	O
"	O
Blizzard	O
Tech	O
"	O
,	O
announced	O
on	O
September	O
21	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
renaming	O
the	O
client	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Blizzard	O
App	O
"	O
by	O
March	O
24	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
following	O
this	O
change	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
realized	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
 "	O
brand	O
had	O
too	O
much	O
legacy	O
behind	O
it	O
to	O
let	O
it	O
go	O
since	O
dropping	O
the	O
brand	O
created	O
additional	O
confusion	O
for	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
further	O
became	O
an	O
issue	O
when	O
Blizzard	O
sought	O
to	O
have	O
Destiny	B-Application
2	I-Application
use	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
be	O
clear	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
developed	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
but	O
used	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
framework	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
"	O
Blizzard	O
App	O
"	O
branding	O
would	O
not	O
provide	O
that	O
clarity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
stepped	O
back	O
from	O
the	O
full	O
rebranding	O
,	O
and	O
announced	O
that	O
going	O
forward	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
call	O
the	O
service	O
and	O
application	O
"	O
Blizzard	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
 "	O
,	O
which	O
Morhaime	O
said	O
was	O
the	O
best	O
way	O
they	O
had	O
found	O
to	O
combine	O
both	O
brands	O
and	O
minimize	O
consumer	O
confusion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
February	O
2021	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
released	O
a	O
new	O
interface	O
and	O
rebranded	O
the	O
application	O
"	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
 "	O
to	O
its	O
original	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
help	O
users	O
protect	O
their	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
accounts	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
implemented	O
a	O
two-factor	O
authentication	O
option	O
for	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
fit	O
on	O
a	O
keychain	O
and	O
would	O
generate	O
pseudorandom	O
numbers	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
account	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
would	O
enter	O
when	O
logging	O
into	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
to	O
affirm	O
their	O
identity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
introduced	O
the	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
mobile	O
application	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
platforms	I-Application
in	O
2009	O
,	O
replicating	O
the	O
same	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
update	O
during	O
June	O
2016	O
simplified	O
the	O
process	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
user	O
,	O
when	O
logging	O
into	O
their	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
account	O
from	O
a	O
computer	O
,	O
to	O
simply	O
press	O
a	O
single	O
button	O
on	O
their	O
connected	O
mobile	O
device	O
to	O
affirm	O
their	O
authenticity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
not	O
required	O
to	O
use	O
Battle.net,	O
some	O
game	O
aspects	O
require	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
enable	O
two-factor	O
authentication	O
through	O
either	O
the	O
device	O
or	O
mobile	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
November	O
1997	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
claimed	O
that	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
had	O
2.2	O
million	O
games	O
played	O
,	O
1.25	O
million	O
different	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
averaged	O
3,500	O
new	O
users	O
each	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
1999	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
had	O
2.3	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
than	O
50,000	O
concurrent	B-License
users	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
September	O
2004	O
,	O
their	O
active	O
user	O
count	O
was	O
up	O
to	O
nearly	O
12	O
million	O
,	O
spending	O
more	O
than	O
2.1	O
million	O
hours	O
online	O
each	O
day	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
had	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
200,000	O
concurrent	B-License
users	I-License
,	O
with	O
a	O
peak	O
concurrent	B-License
user	I-License
count	O
of	O
400,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
claimed	O
that	O
Battle.net,	O
when	O
combined	O
with	O
the	B-Protocol
World	I-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
subscriber	O
base	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
leader	O
of	O
online	O
gaming	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
"	O
even	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
is	O
not	O
even	O
close	O
to	O
us	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
community	O
of	O
developers	B-Application
has	O
arisen	O
around	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
unofficial	O
clients	B-Protocol
are	O
available	O
for	O
Battle.net,	O
and	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
protocol	O
used	O
by	O
Battle.net-enabled	O
games	O
has	O
been	O
reverse-engineered	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
volunteers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
of	O
these	O
games	O
in	O
Warcraft	B-Application
III	I-Application
are	O
tower	O
defense	O
maps	O
and	O
"	O
hero	O
solo	O
"	O
maps	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Defense	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Ancients	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
arena	O
maps	O
)	O
or	O
pure	O
RTS	O
games	O
like	O
"	O
Civilization	O
Wars	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
develops	O
their	O
economy	O
,	O
tech	O
,	O
and	O
unit	O
diversity	O
but	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
no	O
control	O
of	O
their	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
group	O
of	O
gamers	O
reverse	O
engineered	O
the	O
network	O
protocol	O
used	O
by	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
and	O
Blizzard	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
released	O
a	O
free	O
(	O
under	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
GPL	I-License
)	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
emulation	O
package	O
called	O
bnetd	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
bnetd	B-Application
,	O
a	O
gamer	O
is	O
not	O
required	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
official	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
servers	O
to	O
play	O
Blizzard	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2002	O
,	O
lawyers	O
retained	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
threatened	O
legal	O
action	O
under	O
the	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
(	O
DMCA	O
)	O
against	O
the	O
developers	B-Application
of	O
bnetd	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
games	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
operate	O
online	O
exclusively	O
with	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
Blizzard-controlled	O
servers	O
collectively	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
 "	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
servers	O
include	O
a	O
CD	B-Application
key	I-Application
check	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
of	O
preventing	O
software	O
piracy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
offers	O
from	O
the	O
bnetd	B-Application
developers	B-Application
to	O
integrate	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
CD	B-Application
key	I-Application
checking	O
system	O
into	O
bnetd	B-Application
,	O
Blizzard	O
claims	O
that	O
the	O
public	O
availability	O
of	O
any	O
such	O
software	O
package	O
facilitates	O
piracy	O
,	O
and	O
moved	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
bnetd	B-Application
project	O
shut	O
down	O
under	O
provisions	O
of	O
the	O
DMCA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
negotiations	O
failed	O
and	O
Blizzard	O
won	O
the	O
case	O
on	O
all	O
counts	O
:	O
the	O
defendants	O
were	O
ruled	O
to	O
have	O
breached	O
both	O
StarCraft	B-Application
's	O
End	O
User	O
License	O
Agreement	O
(	O
EULA	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
Terms	O
of	O
Use	O
of	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
technology	O
media	O
outlets	O
suggested	O
the	O
change	O
was	O
a	O
good	O
idea	O
and	O
would	O
benefit	O
both	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
Blizzard	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2012	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
Diablo	B-Application
IIIs	I-Application
launch	O
,	O
they	O
discovered	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
accounts	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
hacked	O
using	O
traditional	O
means	O
through	O
password	O
knowledge	O
,	O
with	O
affected	O
game	O
characters	O
being	O
stripped	O
of	O
in-game	O
possessions	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
sold	O
for	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
on	O
August	O
4	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Blizzard	O
reported	O
that	O
their	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
servers	O
had	O
been	O
hacked	O
into	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
perpetrators	O
gaining	O
access	O
to	O
some	O
personal	O
information	O
,	O
including	O
user	O
e-mail	O
addresses	O
,	O
answers	O
to	O
security	O
questions	O
,	O
and	O
scrambled	O
passwords	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
enough	O
for	O
user	O
accounts	O
to	O
be	O
compromised	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Blizzard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
required	O
all	O
players	O
on	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
in	O
North	O
America	O
to	O
change	O
their	O
password	O
and	O
suggested	O
all	O
users	O
change	O
their	O
security	O
questions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
claims	O
in	O
the	O
suit	O
were	O
summarily	O
dismissed	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
in	O
July	O
2013	O
,	O
primarily	O
as	O
the	O
plaintiffs	O
could	O
not	O
show	O
any	O
harm	O
they	O
suffered	O
from	O
these	O
breaches	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
remaining	O
claims	O
related	O
to	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
Authenticator	O
promotional	O
claims	O
were	O
resolved	O
through	O
mediation	O
.	O
</s>
