Well, it’s official. Starcraft 2 will have no LAN support.
Before I start, go sign the petition asking Blizzard to add it in:
http://www.petitiononline.com/LANSC2/petition.html
There are a number of problems with their decision – first and foremost being that they’re literally killing off their huge LAN-party-going fanbase.
Think about it. Your average American does not have an internet connection that can handle eight simultaneous Battle.net connections. And even if the host does have a connection good enough, Blizzard is now forcing all eight people to send their game round-trip to Blizzard’s servers just so they can play with the people in the same room. That increases latency and reduces the “fun” value of the game. If Battle.net dies mid-game, then the “LAN” party comes to an end.
Do any of you remember the original StarCraft, or Diablo I and II? Blizzard provided a multiplayer-only spawn installer on their CDs. They wanted people to play with their friends, even if their friends didn’t own the game.
Starcraft is still one of the ten best-selling games, more than a decade after its release. Do they really think LAN capability hurt their sales? Do they really think piracy hurt their sales?
But now, they’re claiming LAN capability will reduce sales of Starcraft 2. Based on past experience, that’s only true if their game sucks – people buy good games. Just look at Blizzard’s previous releases for the proof.