World of Warcraft: Blizzard Backs Down on Real ID Requirement - Following widespread media coverage and days of community protests against a new policy which would have required the public display of each player's Real ID, real life first and last names, to post on the official forums, Blizzard has acknowledged players' concerns and announced a reversal of its decision. The policy change for mandatory public use of Real ID on the official forums has been canceled.
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We've been constantly monitoring the feedback you've given us, as well as internally discussing your concerns about the use of real names on our forums. As a result of those discussions, we've decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums.
Activision Blizzard's recent controversial announcement that all players posting on the official Battle.net and World of Warcraft forums will be forcibly opted-in to display their real-life billing first and last names in all forum posts has set off an unprecedented firestorm of player protests that seems to be uniting players of all stripes, casual and hardcore, PvPers, PvEers and Role Players alike.
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Recently, we introduced our new Real ID feature - http://www.battle.net/realid/ , a new way to stay connected with your friends on the new Battle.net. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about our plans for Real ID on our official forums, discuss the design philosophy behind the changes we’re making, and give you a first look at some of the new features we’re adding to the forums to help improve the quality of conversations and make the forums an even more enjoyable place for players to visit.
The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID -- that is, their real-life first and last name -- with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it.
The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm beta test is live, and we've begun the process of issuing invitations to selected participants! Week by week, as the beta test progresses, we will continue adding new World of Warcraft: Cataclysm playtesters. To opt in for Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, you must create a beta profile using the Beta Profile Settings option located in the "Manage My Games" section of your Battle.net Account Management page.
Please note that players selected via the opt-in system do not receive beta keys. Rather, your account will be flagged automatically and an email will be sent to you. Simply log in to your account by visiting http://battle.net when you receive a beta welcome notice and check your "Manage My Games" section to verify that the beta client is available for download. Be careful when reading emails claiming to be beta invites. Scam emails often use clickable links to gather your account information, so the safest practice is to go to http://battle.net to check on your beta invitation status.
Fall of the Lich King, the latest World of Warcraft content update, is now live! The heroes of the Horde and the Alliance have faced unimaginable horrors and suffered terrible losses in their desperate struggle against the Scourge. Now the time has come to break through the fortified gates of Icecrown Citadel and confront the Lich King in the frozen heart of his domain. Follow Jaina Proudmoore or Sylvanas Windrunner through the Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron, and Halls of Reflection in an attempt to subvert the Lich King's army in a new multi-wing 5-player dungeon. Join the Ashen Verdict as they charge through the citadel's main gate to take on the Scourge's most powerful leaders and fearsome monstrosities in a new 10- and 25-player raid. Fall of the Lich King also introduces the cross-realm Dungeon Finder interface, new quest-tracking features designed to make it easier to find objectives, and much more.
World of Warcraft: New Pet Store - Real money for virtual pets. The new Pet Store is Blizzard's first foray into microtransactions and direct virtual item sales.
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Today we're pleased to introduce the Pet Store for World of Warcraft, a new way for players to obtain in-game pets to join them on their adventures in Azeroth. Two brand-new companions are now available for purchase exclusively at the Pet Store in the online Blizzard Store: Lil' K.T. and the Pandaren Monk.
Make a Difference: Pandaren Monk Charity Pet
Enter the Pandaren Monk, a martial-arts expert who’s here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he’s proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances. For every Pandaren Monk that finds its way to a player’s side between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PDT), we’ll donate 50 percent of the $10 purchasing price to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in an effort to brew up a little hope, strength, and joy in a child’s life.
Lil' K.T., the Littlest Lich Lil' K.T. is a miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel’Thuzad. But don’t let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil' K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path. You can now buy this new pet for $10 on the Blizzard Store.
In order to receive a purchased pet, you'll need to merge your World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net account. For more information on Battle.net, please visit the FAQ. For more information on the new Pet Store, visit the Pet Store FAQ.
The new World of Warcraft Race Change service is now live. After purchasing a Race Change for a character, a player can choose any race of their same faction that is compatible with the character’s current class. For more information on the Race Change service, please read the FAQ, or visit the Race Change page to get started.
In the upcoming content patch, a new dungeon system will be added that will take the place of the current Looking For Group system. This will offer great new benefits to both premade and randomly created groups, including:
Cross-Realm Instances/Grouping
Instance Teleporting
Daily Random Dungeons
Group Disenchanting
And much more. Learn more on our new dungeon system preview page.
We want to be really faithful to the game...to the Horde and the Alliance and the mythology that takes place in the game, and the archetypes that the game presents. I think we would try and find touchstones within the game to make it accurate and true and choose one or some of the lands that are portrayed in the game with as much accuracy and authenticity as possible.
But we would have our writer, Robert Rodat, really craft an original story within that world that feels like a 'World of WarCraft' adventure.
