Blizzard Has No Plans To Turn Battle.net Into A Steam Competitor
Key Points:
- CD Projekt Red announced at BlizzCon that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered and Cyberpunk 2077 will launch on Blizzard's Battle.net platform by the end of the year, signaling potential growth in third-party titles on the service.
- Battle.net, originally launched in 1997 as a hub for Blizzard games, has gradually expanded to include Activision, Xbox Game Studios, and Bethesda titles, but Blizzard remains selective about which third-party games it adds.
- Blizzard's Andrew Guerrero emphasized that Battle.net does not aim to compete with large platforms like Steam or Epic Games Store, focusing instead on offering curated, high-quality experiences tailored to its core audience.
- Unlike Steam, which is designed as an open publishing platform, Battle.net is not built for mass self-publishing and prioritizes careful curation to ensure games align with the interests of its existing player base.
- Blizzard values its players' time and attention, aiming to avoid overwhelming users with a wide range of games, and intends to maintain a focused approach to game selection on Battle.net.