Blizzard releasing Mobile Authenticator for iPhone, iPod touch
Blizzard is one of the biggest software developers in the world -- they're behind some of the most popular games of all time, including the Diablo series, and of course their legendary MMO World of Warcraft (full disclosure: I'm a senior editor over on TUAW's sister site about that game, WoW Insider). And they've always been Apple friendly -- while other developers complained that it wasn't worth porting their software to the Mac, Blizzard has always released both Mac and PC versions of their games on the same disc, and made sure there was quality on both sides. But they've never dipped their toes in iPhone development -- until now.
WoW Insider has found a posting over on Blizzard's site that suggests they're planning to release an app called Mobile Authenticator. They've released a piece of hardware called the Authenticator before -- it pushes out a code according to an algorithm that keeps players' accounts secure when they sign into the online game. And this app will serve the same purpose, but it'll likely run on your iPhone or iPod touch.
Nothing's appeared on the App Store yet, and this app hasn't even been officially announced (so no word on price or release date -- the hardware authenticator runs $6.50, but obviously there are material costs involved there). But Blizzard has been looking for ways to make their games and players more secure, and it looks like they're turning to Apple's iPhone and other mobile devices to do it.
