Blizzard's Battle.net 2.0 Features Facebook Integration

[John Funk]

Blizzard's Battle.net 2.0 Features Facebook Integration

Blizzard and Facebook are now listed as "It's Complicated," as the new Battle.net 2.0 will give players the option to link their Facebook profiles, importing friends from one service to the other.

Yes, you read that right: If you link your Facebook profile with your Battle.net account, you'll be able to instantly add all of your Facebook friends to your various Battle.net friends lists for all of Blizzard's games, including Diablo III [http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=65548].

That is the only major feature of the new "integration" that has been announced thus far, and given Facebook's recent crackdown on the sort of messages games can automatically send out, whether we'll see much more or not is completely up in the air.

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

I have to admit, the ability to instantly import your friends list from Facebook into StarCraft does sound pretty handy, rather than just individually adding everybody. As long as it's just that, I think it's a positive move.

Spamming your friends with notifications, though? I can only hope they leave that part out, lest you want your feed to look something like this:

[blockquote]
*July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.

*July 29th, 9:07 PM: Jeff needs more Vespene Gas.

*July 29th, 9:07 PM: Jeff just got Zergling rushed.

*July 29th, 9:11 PM: Jeff was an idiot and didn't have any Detector units for those burrowed Roaches, gg.[/blockquote]

On second thought, that might be kind of hilarious.

The new Facebook functionality in Battle.net will be tested in the near future in the StarCraft II beta test, and will be available to everybody when the game ships at the end of July.

Permalink

 

[Nemu]

Sooooo not linking my FB up with Battlenet.

That's just an invitation for hacking via FB as far as I'm concerned, authenticator or not.


(Tho, I agree updates like THOSE would be hysterical...)

 

[TheDoctor455]

Heh... here's what my facebook feed would look like after a typical match against the AI:

TheDoctor needs to spawn more Overlords.
TheDoctor needs to build on the Creep.
TheDoctor spawned a LOT of banelings.
TheDoctor somehow managed to zerg rush himself.
The Easy AI team is laughing its ass off.

 

[BlackStar42]

I thought it said "Facebook interrogation". I really need to get to sleep, partly because I really need it, partly because I do NOT want to imagine Facebook yelling at me for zerging.

 

[Nightfalke]

Yeah, looks like just another avenue for my account to get hacked from.

Lovely.

 

[Calatar]

More like:

July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.
July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.
July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.
July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.
July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.
July 29th, 9:06 PM: Jeff needs to be ****ing patient while his pylon is being constructed.

 

[Plinglebob]

I personally would go with:

July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff engages Onyxia
July 29th, 9:06 PM: Jeff needs more DoTs!

 

[Therumancer]

I am a bit disappointed because I never wanted to use Facebook, but it seems like it might become a virtual nessecity for future Blizzard games. :/

 

[Tom Phoenix]

You have to be kidding me....are you serious, Blizzard? Out of ALL the issues with the new Battle.net, you are concerning yourself with integration with Facebook? -_-

Do not get me wrong, my criticism has nothing to do with the fact that I hate Facebook. Infact, I do not mind optional features that are helpful for other people. But in it's current state, Battle.net is horrible and lacks a lot of critical features that such a service should include by default. What is worst is that they plan to delay some things to the post-release period or even include them in one of the two expansions......while they are working on this?!

Considering how solid of a game SC2 already is, it's terrible that it is bundled with such a poor service like the current new Battle.net. So Blizzard should make it a priority to make Battle.net a good service in it's own right instead of having to rely on connecting itself with other services.

 

[Jaebird]

Man, I remember back when Myspace was all the rage, and Facebook was just a lowly peasant on the sidewalk outside the Conglomeration of Hype building, housing a phat party for Myspace's spambot-hookers and pedophiles.

 

[Jandau]

[blockquote]
*July 29th, 9:05 PM: Jeff needs to construct additional Pylons.

*July 29th, 9:07 PM: Jeff needs more Vespene Gas.

*July 29th, 9:07 PM: Jeff just got Zergling rushed.

*July 29th, 9:11 PM: Jeff was an idiot and didn't have any Detector units for those burrowed Roaches, gg.[/blockquote]

That sounds more like a Twitter feed to me... Good God, that would be even worse!

 

[John Funk]

You have to be kidding me....are you serious, Blizzard? Out of ALL the issues with the new Battle.net, you are concerning yourself with integration with Facebook? -_-

Do not get me wrong, my criticism has nothing to do with the fact that I hate Facebook. Infact, I do not mind optional features that are helpful for other people. But in it's current state, Battle.net is horrible and lacks a lot of critical features that such a service should include by default. What is worst is that they plan to delay some things to the post-release period or even include them in one of the two expansions......while they are working on this?!

Considering how solid of a game SC2 already is, it's terrible that it is bundled with such a poor service like the current new Battle.net. So Blizzard should make it a priority to make Battle.net a good service in it's own right instead of having to rely on connecting itself with other services.

Huh? Bnet2 works pretty nice for me. It's still unfinished, but they do have three months to work on it, you know. What are you talking about that they don't have in?

 

[warps]

Clicking "synchronize friends" instead of typing in every single person separately sounds simple enough. It shouldn't be a lot of coding for Blizzard programmers and yet it seems like a neat addition to the, already good, system that Battle.net v2 is. Especially since they got rid of the annoying chat from the original SC.

 

[Jared]

Seems like the arbitray addition these days...

Well, I suppose good for those who want to use it

 

[fnartilter]

I have to admit, the ability to instantly import your friends list from Facebook into StarCraft does sound pretty handy, rather than just individually adding everybody. As long as it's just that, I think it's a positive move.

Yes! My sentiments exactly.

 

[fanklok]

AHHHH get your farmville outta my battle.net!!!!111!1!

Nah I really don't care, it's kind of an ultra ***** trying to add all your IRL friends to your /f l what with all the calling and typos.

 

[Captain Pancake]

I really hope this doesn't go for WoW too, otherwise I might become even more of a social pariah than I am now. Seriously, nobody needs to know that my sexy night elf rogue just dinged 50.

 

[oppp7]

Ok, what's with all the talking about hacking recently? Is hacking on the rise? I've never been hacked but I'm getting progressively more afraid of it.

Edit: If it's what the peoples wants that's cool. I personally don't use Facebook due to lack of friendsbeing too cool for it.

 

[James Raynor]

How about making it compatable with MSN/AOL/YIM and steam friends?