Blizzard Limits Battle.net Expansion to 2 CD Projekt Games as It Rejects Steam-Style Store Push
Updated
Updated · Polygon · Sep 14
Blizzard Limits Battle.net Expansion to 2 CD Projekt Games as It Rejects Steam-Style Store Push
1 articles · Updated · Polygon · Sep 14
Summary
Two CD Projekt Red titles — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered and Cyberpunk 2077 — will hit Battle.net before year-end, but Blizzard said the move does not signal a broad third-party marketplace push.
Andrew Guerrero told Polygon Battle.net is targeting only games that fit Blizzard’s audience, saying the company is not trying to build a Steam- or Epic-style open storefront.
Battle.net’s tech has been adapted to onboard outside games more easily, he said, but not to the point of self-publishing because Blizzard wants to avoid the curation problems larger stores face.
The platform, launched in 1997, long sold only Blizzard games before adding Destiny 2 in 2017 and later Activision, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda titles after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.