While Blizzard is launching a new version of Battle.net when it ships its sci-fi RTS sequel StarCraft II on July 27 it's not forcing people to always stay online in order to play the game. In a new chat with VideoGamer.com,Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce says such "always on" DRM set-ups are counter-productive, stating, "If you start talking about DRM and different technologies to try to manage it, it's really a losing battle for us."

StarCraft II will require a one time Internet connection to play but after that the single player portion of the game can be played offline. However, Pearce believes, " ... people will want to be connected while they're playing the single player campaign so they can stay connected to their friends on Battle.net and earn the achievements on Battle.net." As far as piracy he believes that that community is much larger than Blizzard, adding, "We need our development teams focused on content and cool features, not anti-piracy technology."