Blizzard celebrates Warcraft's 30-year anniversary by bringing the Battle Chest back.

Blizzard hasn't just released remastered versions its first two real time strategy games: it is also bringing back Battle Chest, which was a marketing genius in the mid-'90s.

Battle Chest was around before The Orange Box. Before Steam and Battle.net, where we can buy games in a few clicks, we needed to go to the physical store to see if they had the large boxes of discs or disks we wanted. There was only a limited amount of shelf space, so new games were often pushed out by the older ones. Only the bestsellers could hold on to their hard-won visibility. Blizzard, circa '96, figured out a way to guarantee it would never lose its shelf space. They made a box that was so large, it stood out in the gaming aisle.

Blizzard’s first Battle Chest included Warcraft 1, Warcraft 2 and the Warcraft 2 expansion Beyond the Dark Portal. Blizzard probably didn't have much to lose by including the original Warcraft in the Battle Chest, as it was competing with Warcraft 2 and Command & Conquer Red Alert. The strategy worked for me: I owned Warcraft 2 but bought the Battle Chest in order to get Beyond the Dark Portal, and experience the story that I had only read about Warcraft 2's guide. What a cool giant box! ?

Blizzard has repeated the Battle Chest multiple times, proving that it was a big success. The StarCraft Battle Chest included the Brood War Expansion and a few strategy guides. The Diablo Battle Chest included the first game and Diablo 2 with its expansion. Even Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft received Battle Chests during the 2000s, as online sales increased. The Old Ways has been available for Warcraft 30th Anniversary, which is almost 10 years after Blizzard released its last Battle Chest for StarCraft 2.

Or, at least, an old name. The Warcraft Battle Chest that is available today is not a physical box, but a digital bundle you can purchase on the Battle.net Store. It still evokes the same "what an incredible value!" reaction. The first one evoked the same reaction. It includes Warcraft 1 and 2 remastered, as well as Warcraft 3: reforged (and all the expansions), and is available today for just $39.99.