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The BattleTag system is an evolution from the [[Real ID]] system Blizzard attempted to introduce in early 2011, until massive fan outcry over the privacy issues forced Blizzard to rework it.
===Changing Your BattleTag===
In response to fan requests, Blizzard enabled a BattleTag name change in April 2012. They said it was one time only per account, and urged fans to choose wisely.[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/battletag-is-now-changeable]
Another one-time amnesty was rolled out a month later, as fans found how important BattleTags were in game (they show the vast majority of the time when online, with specific character names seldom displayed) and petitioned for another change opportunity. They got it, with an announcement on May 17th just two days after Diablo III's release. [http://blues.incgamers.com/Posts/10/1/40/819/161485/battletag-free-name-change-update]
<blue>During the Diablo III Open Beta Weekend in April, a number of players opted to use their one free BattleTag nickname change in order to try to participate in the beta test. We recognize that in their excitement to try to get into the game, some players did not fully realize how BattleTags would integrate with Diablo III or that the number of free changes was limited, and they ended up choosing nicknames that they weren’t happy with.
To help address these concerns, we've done a one-time refresh of the free BattleTag name change feature on all Battle.net accounts, so that everyone once again has one free BattleTag name change to use at their discretion.
This means that if you already used your original free change, you will now have another opportunity to change your BattleTag nickname. If you did not use your free BattleTag name change or have not yet created a BattleTag, you will still only be able to change your BattleTag once for free.</blue>
==Player Opinion==
While most players liked the functions and convenience of one BattleTag, there were many complaints about the lack of character customization or identity. BattleTags display always in-game, so whether your friend is playing his Wizard, Barbarian, Monk, etc, all you ever see is the same BattleTag.
After numerous complaints about this during the Beta test, [[Bashiok]] offered a ray of hope by saying that the system was under review and the final game should offer more options for character name display.[http://blues.incgamers.com/Posts/10/1/40/819/152051/we-must-be-heardwe-need-our-hero-names#postId_410772]
<blue>You’ve been heard! There’s a clean up pass coming for BattleTag in the near-ish future that should resolve most of the issues with a BattleTag being displayed instead of a character name, or a character name not being displayed at all. I think it may also line up with some fixes for BattleTags here on the forums.
BattleTag is still intended to be your big overarching account-wide identifier that will follow you from Blizzard game to Blizzard game, but individual character identity is still obviously very important.</blue>
That turned out not to be the case, as a month later Blizzard announced no changes to the system.[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/character-names-remain-irrelevant-in-diablo-iii]
<blue>While you’ll be able to see your own character name (and while there will be situations when other players can see your character’s name, too), your BattleTag nickname will be your primary form of identification. It’s what players will see both in Public Games and most prominently in the friends list.
<font color="#FFFFFF">Lylirra, can we get some clarification on where character names show up vs. Battletag?</font>
Sure thing! When Diablo III launches, your character name will be visible to you in a variety of locations including the character selection screen and game menu. For other players, your character’s name will only appear within your player profile, as hover text the friends list, and when your character participates in quest dialog. In every other context, your BattleTag will be shown.</blue>
===Fan Preference===
After the above news, leading fansite Diablo.IncGamers.com ran a poll to get to the bottom of fan opinion. The results showed a clear preference for character names over BattleTags:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/vote-character-names-or-battletags]
<blockquote>'''Do you prefer to see Character Names or BattleTags?'''
* 1) Character name should display in-game and chat. (43%, 2,436 Votes)
* 3) Give players the option of which to display and view. (32%, 1,787 Votes)
* 2) BattleTag should display in-game and chat. (15%, 858 Votes)
* 4) Don't care/no opinion. (10%, 576 Votes)
Total Voters: 5,646</blockquote>
<blue>To add a friend via their BattleTag manually in the Diablo III beta client, simply type their BattleTag and code (e.g. DemonStomper#1537) into the Add a Friend field in the Add Friend interface. This will send the player a BattleTag friend request; if the other player accepts your request, your BattleTags will appear on each other’s friends lists. </blue>
==BattleTag Name Limitations==
