Blizzard Passed on Early Opportunity to Rival Steam with Battle.net Store

A new book reveals Blizzard's decision to reject a proposal to turn Battle.net into a digital game store years before Steam's launch.

Blizzard programmer Patrick Wyatt proposed transforming Battle.net into a digital store around the year 2000.
Mike O'Brien, who developed Battle.net, supported the idea, but it was ultimately rejected by Blizzard's executives.
Valve launched Steam in 2003, which has since become the leading digital game distribution platform.
The decision is detailed in Jason Schreier's new book, 'Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment.'
Blizzard has recently started releasing its games on Steam, including popular titles like Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4.