When is Blizzard going to support Linux?!

Desktop App Feedback Discussion
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Copy Pasta from user Johners on old Forums. Still damn relevant though:

The question of Linux support comes up time and time again but I really think it is time that Blizzard actuallty supported Linux. Here is why.

Drivers aren’t an issue anymore

One of the big reasons that people didn’t want to use Linux was the poor state of graphics drivers. This isn’t an issue anymore. The drivers have massively improved and the major performance differences that some games still show are down to the lower quality wrapper-based ports rather than the native ports (like those Valve did for their games).

Vulkan

The Vulkan API is the cross-platform versions of DirectX 12. These two APIs are the future of PC Games but Vulkan isn’t restricted to Windows 10 like DX12 is. By using Vulkan, Blizzard can generate code that is multi-platform friendly and would make the job of creating and supporting Linux games much easier in the long run. Blizzard are also a member of the Khronos group, the people who publish the spec for the Vulkan API.

Distro Fragmentation isn’t an issue

Another common argument for not using or supporting Linux is the number of distributions. While there are large number of options, the vast majority of Linux users use a small handful of distros that are very similar to each other.

More importantly, Valve only officially support Ubuntu which makes their job easier while also reducing the diea who need to officially support every distribution that exists.

Users are willing to test/support companies that support Linux

There is a dedicated and growing community around Linux gaming that is willing to help developers, both finanically and constructively, who want to support. The community while buy the games while also do their best to report bugs or test development builds for upcoming or already existing games that are being ported. Blizzard are a massive company and they could easily grab the attention of this entire community and it would help to provide a lot of real world testing for them.

Operating system choice is good

Giving people the choice of using a non-Windows operating system to play Blizzard games is only a good thing. While you can use Mac OS X you do have to buy an Apple Mac to use it (in line with the license agreement anyway).

This is important because Windows 10 and the upgrade tactics have drawn a lot of negative attention to Microsoft. There is an even growing number of people who are switching to Linux or at least considering it.

However, there is one problem. Linux has (or had) a chicken and egg problem. Nobody uses it because nobody develops for it which leads to nobody developing for it as nobody uses it. While Valve and other companies have been changing this by porting games to Linux, a company as large as Blizzard porting their games to Linux would do wonders for this movement and would really send a signal to games and developers alike to actually take Linux seriously as a gaming platform.

The benefit of doing this is that the users have more choice as to what operating system they run on their computer without having to make sacrifices. You can run the games via WINE but that isn’t perfect whereas a native port would allow for Linux Gamers to enjoy the best possible Blizzard experience without having to install/use Windows.

Linux Market Share Growth

While the accuracy of web based statistics for operating ysstem use is questionable, the usage graph that will be linked below shows that Linux now has more than 2% of the market share on desktop operating systems. This is, again, a sign of progress.

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+1. This is why I like steam better as they have been Linux supporters early on.

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+1
Vulkan >>>> DirectX, by far

Please, Blizzard.

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+1
It would be great to play some Blizzard’s games on Linux

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+1. Blizz should at least consider it.

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Free Hong Kong
Free Hong Kong
Free Hong Kong

Free Hong Kong

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That would be great!

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  1. Install lutris
  2. Install the proper vulkan-capable drivers
  3. Install battle-net and enable dxvk

There’s your Linux support.

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Blizzard and Activision anti cheat system prevent us from playing games such as SC2, Destiny, D3 … I buy all my games and I can play it under Linux.
I tried with wine, Playonlinux or Proton, these games does not work due to anti cheat system. I will never install Windows to play a game. Windows is a shame, it’s slow, unefficient and power consuming.
Blizzard, if you want me to buy any of your next game, add native support to Linux (or make sure it’s working with wine/dxvk on Ubuntu or whatever …)

As said previously, supporting a native game on linux is not a big deal :

  • Use Vulkan API
  • Link you ELF file with static libraries - OR - ship required dynamic libraries with the ELF file. Only keep basic deps with libc. In that way, your game will run on all linux system.
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False, the anticheat does not have any problems with wine + dxvk. Been playing Destiny 2, Starcraft 2, Overwatch, WoW and D3 on Linux only for the last 5 years and my accounts are fine.

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The question here is not that we can play using wine or proton.
The question here is not that we can dual boot.
The question here is there are lots of people waiting for native linux support, either to be able to play decently (without the random crashes from wine) and/or ditch dual boot for good.

I would also like to thank my fellow windows gamers who just come here to speak badly of linux and start those endless (and useless) OS arguments that do NOT help at all in this thread. You are doing a great job, showing just how egoistic and egocentric you are!!!

Blizzard loves linux. In fact, it loves it so much that it runs it on their servers. So, for once, instead of just using what the “community” has done over the years, it would be nice for a change to give something back to that “community”.

It’s just a shame when you [Blizzard CEOs] say that you are in the for the games and the gamers, but in the end, (Linux) gamers tend to be always pushed back and you say “the market share isn’t enough”. A bit contradictive I’d say.

You [Blizzard] even ported hearthstone to android ( and what is android, in the end? ) and still no native hearthstone client to linux.

I myself stopped using windows, stopped dual booting, stopped using wine and even stopped using proton. I’m in for the real experience (native ports) or nothing. And I won’t spend any more money on something that isn’t native supported. But I’d sure love to get to play Diablo 4!!!

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+1

I agree Blizzard could already begin to make their games multi-platform for desktop computers. And Linux user growth is constantly growing. Right now, the linux and wine community has achieved quality support for Windows applications, but there are still crutches that simply prevent the average user from using Linux. Personally, I’ll say launching a game through a terminal with the necessary parameters gives good performance in games than launching Windows applications on an executable file.

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Games that are on Android ARE on Linux. Android is Java + Linux. Other than that, wait for Windows to go to a Linux kernel, because other than that or someone creating a major Linux-based gaming platform OTHER than Android, you and the other nine gamers running whatever generodistro aren’t worth the money to support. Use a consumer-supported PC OS if you want consumer games on your PC. Or dual boot.

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Thank you very much for your obvious response.

And I’m sorry for my next statement but If you really come here to say “dual boot” or “use a consumer -supported PC OS” and stuff like that, you might as well keep your opinion to yourself and stop spamming threads like this with that nonsense which everyone else with your opinion already spammed millions of times and doesn’t help our (linux users) case at all.

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I’m adding my support. Linux distros like pop! os have really added a lot of polish to the Linux experience and it would be great to see blizzard, of which I’ve been a loyal supporter of, embrace. specifically through advances like vulkan.

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I discovered that Steam game network chose a linux version for their games but its the steam game network that is the proprietary component of its offering pehaps this could help Blizzard find a direction of simular Linux experience. Basically if Blizzard entertainment could find real estate on a free operating system that Steam runs on perhaps there can be a battle.net proprietary application to suit most linux not just the “chosen” one but with beta testing a base quality specification would provide a base level of “fun out of the box” even just on the same free linux base steam uses with a support branch of linux gaming volunteers whom can guide gamers and build installation and trouble shooting tutorials.

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Initial post > Very well said. +1000000.

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Please Blizzard, at least support ChromeOS, and the new OS from Huwai, there must be a market there :wink:

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Another +1 for some actual Linux support from Blizzard, or maybe they should just sell their games on Steam too, since Valve figured it out just fine… I do basically all my gaming on Linux now, Ryzen/Nvidia rig, (aside from some old dosbox stuff from GoG on my ancient Windows setup) since Steam managed to figure out a user-friendly solution for non-native games that has yet to fail me. And half of my library there already had a native version or a tested Steam Play setup via Proton, literally no work required on my part, aside from enabling the untested games in my library, which was a few button clicks… Been months and months like this (Steam) with no problem on my end, so I don’t see why Blizzard can’t figure any of this out for themselves… Until, or if, that can be managed, I’ll just keep barely playing what I do own from you guys, given booting my underpowered Windows rig a couple times a year now just to see updates that delete file directories or whatever Microsoft’s latest “patch” is up to is just a bit of a pain to remediate, and keep skipping any future titles that ignore Linux as you’ve continued to do…
Though I guess phones and gacha games are a more important market for this industry now, so I won’t hold my breath on any action from your camp…

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Did you copy and paste that response from google? You argument (if you can call that an argument) is nonsense (and incorrect).