Is Battle.net shutting down?

Battle.net is Blizzard's in-house launcher for their games on PC. Those who play World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo will be very familiar with it. However, Battle.net's existence may be questioned once Microsoft acquires Blizzard and Activision. As a result, some fans may be wondering if it will be shut down.

There is no clear answer to whether Battle.net will be shut down. But Microsoft's CEO Phil Spencer issued a press release stating, "Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms, and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward." This seems to imply that Battle.net will remain active, but the deal will not finalize until the fiscal year 2023, meaning we won't know for a while.

Related: Is Overwatch/Overwatch 2 coming to Gamepass?

If Microsoft shuts down Battle.net, the next question will be what happens to all the purchases made by players on the platform. This becomes a bit of a grey area as if Microsoft does not transfer these purchases over, fans will have lost hard-earned and bought items and will be upset.

This information is still up in the air, and we likely won't have an answer for some time. However, we will keep this post updated with more information as it becomes available.

Announcements of Microsoft's planned acquisition of Blizzard and Activision came on Jan. 18, 2022, when Microsoft's CEO Phil Spencer released a statement. The acquisition is estimated to be completed sometime in 2023 and this statement details how Microsoft plans to add the games of Blizzard and Activision to its own library.

Interestingly, this announcement comes in during the midst of the various scandals, accusations, and lawsuits that Activision and Blizzard have received. One could speculate that the two are related and the acquisition is not just about the games.

For more information on gaming, check out Will CoD become Xbox exclusive? and Is WoW coming to Gamepass? on Pro Game Guides.