Blizzard Entertainment caused a firestorm when it announced last month that it would require gamers to post comments using their real names in the company’s forums for titles such as the upcoming Starcraft II.
It was the latest solution for stamping out trolls and hateful comments posted by anonymous gamers. But it met with a bunch of opposition, and now Blizzard, a division of the huge game publisher Activision Blizzard, has relented. Mike Morhaime, chief executive of Blizzard, announced today that, after analyzing the feedback, the company won’t require real names for posting on Blizzard’s official forums.
Controversy arose because critics thought that Blizzard’s new policy, which would rely on its in-game Real ID system already used in World of Warcraft, would make players vulnerable to privacy invasions. For instance, hackers might have an easier time taking the account names for real players and start guessing at their login passwords. And stalkers could also hunt down a commenter they don’t like and cause them real, not just online, grief.
Morhaime said that the company originally wanted to make the community area “more welcoming” for players and encourage constructive conversations about games. Players will still be able to rate posts, pushing them up or down, and search more easily through them. But when Starcraft II launches on July 27, players will post through their Battle.net online service character names and the accompanying character codes, not their real names. When Blizzard launches its Cataclysm update to World of Warcraft, it will institute the same policy, Morhaime said.
Inside the actual games, Blizzard will have an option to use real names with the Real ID system, which will make it easier to invite friends into World of Warcraft and Starcraft II game sessions. Players will still be able to keep their relationships anonymous by communicating via a chat system that reveals only character names, if they prefer. That essentially ensures you will have control about whether you tell strangers your name in online game sessions. You will be able to chat with friends across games, such as talking to someone who is playing Starcraft II while you are playing World of Warcraft. Real ID will have a parental control feature as well.