World of Warcraft

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World of Warcraft

Basic Information
Release Year	2004
Product Type	Video game
In Production	Yes
Official Website	https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online game maintained by Activision Blizzard. Despite the product's critical acclaim since the 2000s, the treatment of the product has had a historically negative trend, facing anti-consumer affairs at the request of its publisher.

Incidents

This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the World of Warcraft category.

Real ID (July 2010)

• Real ID (July 2010): Real ID was a change introduced by Blizzard, where players would use their real first and last name when posting on WoW forums (instead of their preferred WoW character, as it was before). Initially announced as optional, it was quickly changed to obligatory, with Blizzard arguing it to be a vital step for reducing toxicity in gaming community. Community pushback was massive and united, with many citing privacy threats as the main concern. Blizzard initially tried to downplay the danger, even banning several people, but eventually buckled under the pressure. Then-CEO Mike Morhaime declared that, following user feedback, using Real ID to post on the forums would not be required.