Blizzard tries to rename Battle.net, fails

Less than a year after mysteriously changing "Battle.net" to the "Blizzard app," Blizzard Entertainment has doubled back.

The Blizzard app, formerly known as Battle.net, has been renamed as "Blizzard Battle.net," combining the original name of Blizzard's online service with Blizzard's own name. Probably a good move considering Battle.net has been a staple of online gaming since the mid-'90s and established itself with that name for roughly 20 years.

If you've played a Blizzard game on PC, you have interacted with Battle.net -- excuse me, Blizzard Battle.net. Blizzard Battle.net is an all-encompassing online service where people can buy Blizzard games and game subscriptions, add each other as friends and chat, and keep up on Blizzard game news. The service is part of Blizzard's DNA, which is partially why the company added Battle.net back into the name.

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. 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.

Battle.net is the central nervous system for Blizzard games and the connective tissue that has brought Blizzard players together since 1996. The technology was never going away, but after giving the branding change further consideration and also hearing your feedback, we’re in agreement that the name should stay as well. Take it from the developer formerly known as Silicon & Synapse, and Chaos Studios, names are important too.

With such an integral history with Blizzard, the name Battle.net couldn't simply be pushed under the rug. After all, Battle.net's domain name is "battle.net."

From now on (unless Blizzard changes its mind again), the service formerly known as Battle.net will be referred to as Blizzard Battle.net. Although, honestly, people are probably just going to keep calling it plain old Battle.net anyway.