Q: Is creating a Battle.net Account required to play World of Warcraft?
A: Currently, creating a Battle.net account and merging World of Warcraft accounts is entirely optional. However, as we continue to build additional functionality into the new Battle.net, we will eventually require all active World of Warcraft accounts to migrate over to Battle.net Accounts in order to continue playing. Additionally, all future Blizzard Entertainment games such as StarCraft II and Diablo III will require Battle.net Accounts.
Does this mean that starcraft II is going to be "pay to play" as well? I use the home lan version of starcraft frequently to play against family members, and never had a battle.net account for SC. Will I still be able to do this, or will I need to pay $XX.95 per month for SCII to work at all?