Blizzard climbs down on real names for WoW forums
Take aim. Misfire!
Blizzard has made a speedy u-turn on its decision to force members of the World of Warcraft forums to reveal their real names, following a hailstorm of criticism.
Earlier in the week, the games publisher announced the move, aimed at stamping out abusive behaviour.
More than 20,000 complaints on the forum later and the company has backed down.
In a forum post yesterday, Mike Morhaime Blizzard's CEO announced the climbdown.
He also said the company would continue with the "completely separate" optional in-game Real ID system already live with WoW and coming soon to Starcraft 2.
COMMENTS
Oh Steve dear
I know how that works, TYVM. Used to hang out online with a troupe of avid MUDders, and we'd all play from the same room. We mostly called each other by our online aliases in person even while we knew each other's real names. Same with a different group of IRCers that'd meet a couple times a year, would visit each other, that sort of thing. Don't know about you but I *really* don't need corporate ass-covering to force my hand in who I give my real name.
"OPT IN OPTIONAL HONEST" is marketese for "we're going to wait a bit and _then_ make it mandatory". Whether refusing to drink the kool-aid makes me friends with some of us, real or otherwise, completely fails to interest me.
Sounds like half work
Sure, same name, same idea... completely different thing! Separate! Honest!
Pfft. The idea is to _escape_, you know, hang out in a fantasy world for a while... or a lot. You don't need no steenkin' ``realid'' there. How about understanding your core business, blizzard?
Anonymous
^ This
I don't trust real id. If my real life friends want me to heal or tank they can call me on the telephone like the rest of the world does. I don't even do facebook.
Good for them
Not that I have the time to play any more, much less post in forums, but I do want to keep my gamer life as little obvious as possible, thankyouverymuch. I find perfectly normal that most people want the same.
I wonder
if this move had more to do with sites like http://asnowstormbyanyothername.blogspot.com/ that showed how easy it was to find out a ton of info with names (including 2 blizzard employees wedding date, time, and location it is going to be held along with all her friends names) just from the full name, and a general idea of the persons location.
I'm actually shocked blizzard changed their mind, this has to be one of the 1st times in history I've read that happening.
