In a follow-up to yesterday's announcement that StarCraft II would lack LAN support and the subsequent public outcry, Blizzard has gone on record to explain their controversial move. Unsurprisingly, the company's decision was rooted in piracy, coming as an attempt to curb illegal downloads after the game is released. Bob Colayco of Blizzard told Joystiq that this "safeguard" against piracy wasn't an easy decision for them, indicating they knew many players would be unhappy with it.

Blaming piracy for stripping features is one way to explain their actions. Such tactics are becoming increasingly common, with more games requiring online verification to make full use of content. So why not do the same with StarCraft II, requiring some sort of online activation before LAN play becomes possible? Compare Steam and the EA Downloader, both of which even require occasional re-authentication of single player games to keep them functioning. What prevents Blizzard from incorporating measures such as this?