Despite its prequel being one of the most actively played games on local area networks (LAN) even a decade after its release, Blizzard execs confirm that StarCraft II will support LAN play at the time of release. The original title’s release often required the specific network connection due to consumer technological limitations, but over the years the title has still been a staple on the comparatively archaic set-up, and fan reaction has already begun to stew over this announcement.
“We don’t currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games,” read a statement by Blizzard. “While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.”
“Several Battle.net features like advanced communication options, achievements, stat-tracking, and more, require players to be connected to the service, so we’re encouraging everyone to use Battle.net as much as possible to get the most out of StarCraft II,” continued the statement. “We’re looking forward to sharing more details about Battle.net and online functionality for StarCraft II in the near future.”