Blizzard announces Battle.Net Facebook Integration

[Nghtmr9999]

Blizzard's Battle.net platform will integrate with Facebook, letting players of all its games on the service use their friends lists on the social network to populate their Battle.net friends lists.

The integration will roll out starting with StarCraft II, and will be tested alongside that game's ongoing beta. As to whether the Battle.net integration will use Facebook in other ways -- as do games that let players post scores and activity updates to their profiles -- Blizzard says that other features will be announced at a later date.

"We're pleased to be working with Facebook to integrate their platform with Battle.net to enhance the social-entertainment experience for our players," says Blizzard COO Paul Sams.

Blizzard's broad ambitions for Battle.net were part of why StarCraft II, just dated for July 27, will be hitting later than initially forecast last year. The company has said the new Battle.net is intended to be "integrated with StarCraft II more tightly than any previous Blizzard game."

Analysts widely expect StarCraft II to be a hit; most recently, Cowen's Doug Creutz predicted 5 million units in the game's first year.

Blizzard plans to extend Facebook integration to its other titles, says Sams: "This new functionality will make it easier than ever to connect with friends on Battle.net and play StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games together."

Source: Gamasutra - News - Blizzard Announces Battle.Net Facebook Integration

[EaTCarbS]

For some reason, I like this.

[Joey007]

that's pretty awesome news =D

facebook + blizzard = pwnage

[Nghtmr9999]

Originally Posted by Joey007

that's pretty awesome news =D

facebook + blizzard = pwnage

Yup, can't wait to see how Blizzard implements this. Should be very interesting.

[Lindline]

I like how you can populate your bnet friends list from facebook, but I think its just going to lead to a slippery slope of cheesy product tie-ins.

[Nghtmr9999]

Originally Posted by Lindline

I like how you can populate your bnet friends list from facebook, but I think its just going to lead to a slippery slope of cheesy product tie-ins.

Not to mention more possible breaches of Facebook security. And we all know how that's been going for them recently...

[Ualaa]

Facebook for me, is basically search for people you almost never talk with anymore, but who were once acquaintances or friends...
Add them to your friends lists, and be added in turn.
Then periodically say, "Hey, haven't seen you since <Insert Elementary School>, how is it going?".
And then don't really talk with them again.

The concept is nice and all, and so many seem amused by useless facebook applications, but honestly I don't have anyone on my facebook who I know in game. Similarly, everyone I know in game know me as this toon or that toon, and that is how I know them too.
I don't know the real life names of almost anyone who I game with, at least when gaming refers to video games... maybe three names out of 500+ toons who I interact with often enough to remember the name and what their relation is to my toons.

Neat idea, for some maybe.
But useless for me.