It was clear that readers showing up for our live blog of the Activision Blizzard earnings call were interested in one thing: when the closed beta for StarCraft 2 was set to begin. It took a while to get there, but we were provided a solid answer. The beta will begin before the end of the month, with the game itself set for release in the middle of 2010.

Amidst all the electronic cheers, a few details on the updated Battle.net were also announced to compliment the tour given to gamers via the official site. Battle.net will be the place to play and experience all Blizzard games, giving gamers the ability to speak to each other across both World of WarCraft realms and even other games. If you're playing StarCraft 2 and your friends are in the middle of a raid, you'll be able to speak to each other. It will also be the place to buy games and add-on content for Blizzard releases; Activision has made clear its lust for higher digital profits.

"Thousands" of players will be given access to the beta, across North America, Australia, Taiwan, Europe, New Zealand, and Korea. The beta will be used to generate buzz for the game's release, and of course to test all the new features of the updated Battle.net.