Blizzard Entertainment is not seeking to compete with major PC storefronts like Steam or the Epic Games Store, according to senior vice president Andrew Guerrero. Despite recently adding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 to its Battle.net platform, the company maintains that its approach is deliberately more curated.
"We're obviously not out there trying to do the Steam or Epic Game Store thing," Guerrero stated in an interview with Polygon. "We really look at ourselves as, you know, we have our audience. We have a passionate core of people that play Blizzard games and games similar to Blizzard, and if something makes sense for them, we'll get after it."
Guerrero described Battle.net's strategy as a "much more focused approach" centered on identifying "top-tier quality experiences" that would resonate with its existing player base. This curated selection aims to offer players a handpicked collection of games rather than an expansive catalog.
While Battle.net is not designed for the frequent, regular release of new games typical of larger platforms, Blizzard has worked to streamline its publishing process. This allows for the inclusion of select third-party titles like those from CD Projekt Red, integrating them in a manner consistent with the storefront's curated ethos.
However, Blizzard has implemented certain requirements for content access. For instance, a Geralt crossover skin for Diablo 4 barbarians is locked behind pre-ordering The Witcher 3's upcoming Songs of the Past DLC on Battle.net. This move highlights how even with a focused strategy, specific promotions and requirements can still be tied to the platform. The addition of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 suggests a strategy to leverage popular, high-quality third-party titles to enhance the Battle.net ecosystem for its core audience.