Activision Battles 'Trolls', Backs Down on Privacy Fears

With over 11 million people currently playing “World of Warcraft,” the privacy fears raised valid alarms. While only a small fraction of players use the Blizzard forums, they are still among the most active in the gaming world. And, in some cases, they are the most fanatical.

Blizzard Software As a studio, Blizzard has never had a commercial flop in its stable of widely popular games.

Names would be taken from the Real ID feature— which is tied in with users’ account and billing information—on the company’s Battle.net service, its online hub for all games.

Blizzard, as a studio, has never had a commercial flop. And its titles transcend traditional gaming borders, bringing casual and hardcore players together. Several celebrities and athletes regularly play the games as well (though it’s unknown if any participate in the forums).

The announcement, however, had caused some loyal players to threaten to cancel pre-orders of upcoming titles. That’s a common reaction when a publisher makes a controversial move and it’s rarely done in widespread numbers—but Activision was unwilling to risk any damage to the Blizzard brand.

Blizzard is the undisputed king of the massively multiplayer world, but new challengers are looming. Electronic Arts

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[ERTS  Loading...      ()   ] is planning to launch a “Star Wars” persistent world next year, which could test the loyalty of “World of Warcraft” players.

While privacy fears by members were apparently the chief reason behind the policy reversal, some players had a different concern: their apprehension was the use of real names in the forum would remove some of the fantasy elements of the games.

Players flock to video games for a break from reality, just as they do with movies. Seeing “Frank Smith” rather than something along the lines of “Winterbane” alongside a post would be like going to a Harry Potter film and seeing the lead actor referred to as “Daniel” throughout the film.

Blizzard, in announcing the decision to back off of its plan Friday, noted it was user feedback that prompted the action. However, it says, it still hopes to find a way to make the forums more positive environment.

“It's important to note that we still remain committed to improving our forums,” wrote Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Our efforts are driven 100% by the desire to find ways to make our community areas more welcoming for players and encourage more constructive conversations about our games.”