MassiveDamage writes: "As Diablo III, the first installment of Starcraft II and the recently announced third expansion to the World of Warcraft loom ever closer, Blizzard has taken steps to ensure that Battle.net becomes a one stop shop for gamers looking to play online. Launched in 1996 following the release of Diablo, Battle. net became the centerpiece of the Blizzard online experience. Seamlessly integrated with titles allowed for simplicity in account creation, as opposed to external online services. Additionally, an absence of membership fees would poise Battle.net to become a major selling point for Diablo and subsequent Blizzard titles. However, having existed in its current form without changes since 2003 has begun to call for some updates...."