Blizzard to take away any anonymity you had left

[Aleu]

So far it seems only addons that gather info from other players can do this. I don't think any of my current addons do this, but I won't be downloading any new ones. =/ Apparently, there may be some people who are working on addons to block other addons from seeing your name.

However, what GS is doing now might be grounds for Blizzard to ban it. >.< Unless the creator of the project changes it. Then again, Blizzard is making our names on the forums... So they may not care.

[mpd_84]

iv already quit.this mess plus how they keep teasing us with retired pet skins on npcs is to much.and all i was doing was farming the deathcharger anyway,since noone i play with has been on in months.ill still be here on petopia for the info,art,and stories though...

[Slickrock]

Interesting quote from the US forums that was picked up by the EJ forums folks:

Got in touch with my ex-flatmate, whose sister works as a GM for Blizzard, to see what the internal buzz on this was. Apparently, at the moment the employees are largely as pissed as the players, and she stated that despite attempts to keep it hushed, it has become known that the big creative players within Blizzard are pretty much as unhappy about this as we are. Everybody has been told they are not free to comment on this situation outside of specially prepared statements.

It's still going ahead, however (and here's where in-house rumours and hearsay really start coming into play): from what they've picked up, the Blizzard leads have been told in no uncertain terms that the non-gameplay-related direction of the game is working to a different blueprint now. GC and company are free to play with shiny new talent trees all they like, for example, but for the first time the decisions regarding Battle.net implementation, Real ID, and plans for the general acquisition of new players for the business are no longer in Blizzard's own hands, and that's not going down too well.

If it's truly the case, I hope that some other game developers come along, and scoop up these people, and really hurt Blizzard that way. If I was a recruiter for a competing game developer, I'd be all over this...

[cowmuflage]

um Slickrock it all seems to piont to Activision being the company that made the desion to do this and not really Blizz seeing as so many people high up in blizz don't like it so your hate should really go to them lol. SO really the best bet is for Blizz to split off and become there own company again really.

[Slickrock]

um Slickrock it all seems to piont to Activision being the company that made the desion to do this and not really Blizz seeing as so many people high up in blizz don't like it so your hate should really go to them lol. SO really the best bet is for Blizz to split off and become there own company again really.

Umm.. you aren't getting it. Activision OWNS Blizzard. They can't just split off like that.

The "hate" as you call it (and it's not hate, it's frustration), is directed at the "mothership" of Blizzard/Activision. And then BEST way to hurt them and make them realize they made a bad decision is for their best and brightest to leave the company.

But, considering Activision's track record, they would actually welcome that, as it would allow them to reduce payroll, and make Blizzard more "corporate". Go read the quotes from Activision's CEO regarding bringing game development "under control".

Considering the recent trend of things that Blizz said they would never do, don't be surprised when they start selling gear for $$$, and other things. Sure they will chase away the die-hards, but they will attract the Farmville crowd that gladly pay for prettier pixels. That is the future of your WoW.

[cowmuflage]

um now they can really they still own the rights to wow

[Slickrock]

um now they can really they still own the rights to wow

"Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard..."

A division of a company can't just up and leave. It would be nice if Blizzard could, but they can't.

[Hooxeii]

I really don't think it will ever come to things like selling better gear. Even if it does, I'm not too concerned; I hate the idea, but at the end of the day it's not going to make me quit the game. What would make me pack up and call it quits is something like, say, realID becoming mandatory to play the game.

If what the above post said is true, and Blizz isn't happy about this, then we've at least got allies. I can't imagine the people who made the WoW we know and love are too excited about the whole social-networking thing. The whole thing seems so atypical for Blizz, but perhaps that's just my perception. To me, this was a company concerned about satisfying their playerbase, and this maneuver seems to completely disregard the almost universal outrage people are feeling towards it. Is it Activision, or does Blizzard have a hand in it as well? We may never know.

I think the smartest move is to simply opt out of the realID thing and wait for answers. For all we know, things could change.

[cowmuflage]

The thing about the blizz guys not likeing it is true.

[Slickrock]

The thing about the blizz guys not likeing it is true.

I don't doubt it. All the leaks seem to indicate that. But there's not much they can do, other than leave the company. Which is our only choice either. But it would take a mass exodus of players for them to change. I don't think a mass exodus of employees would change it, not with Activision running the show.

[Teigan]

Activision - Blizzard's Board of Directors and Senior Corporate Managment, from their website...we should send them nice greeting cards. Perhaps Ryno could make up a special batch of his sweet rolls?

The corporate office has a mailing address. I didn't feel like going creepy stalker on them. It's past my bedtime, and I imagine they won't be easy to find anyway. However, in this day and age of emails, etc and actual letter might carry more weight.

Corporate Headquarters
Activision Blizzard, Incorporated
3100 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90405
(310) 255-2000

Régis Turrini
Richard Sarnoff
Stéphane Roussel
Douglas P. Morris
Robert J. Morgado
Jean-Bernard Lévy
Robert A. Kotick
Brian G. Kelly
Frédéric R. Crépin
Robert J. Corti
Philippe G. H. Capron
Michael J. Griffith
Brian Hodous
Michael Morhaime
George Rose
Thomas Tippl
Chris Walther
Ann Weiser

[Rhyela]

If we got a lot of people to write just one letter explaining why this is such a bad idea, overwork their mailroom employees so much they have to pay them overtime, maybe they'll listen. Doubt it, honestly, because they probably have their nose shoved up Facebook's crack, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

[Teigan]

Well, does anyone remember a TV show called Jericho? Good show, but it got canceled before the plot played out. The fans were upset and, playing off a line from the last episode, where ones character says "Nuts!" in rejection of surrender (I think..anyway, it was "Nuts!") the fans sent in nuts...tons of nuts, by the time it was done. Well, the show came back. It was an obvious rush job and not as good as it could have been, but at least they put out a few more episodes and wrapped up the story.
Nuts might not be the thing...but, letters, real physical letters, written in an articulate, polite fashion and in large enough quantity, might be helpful. I plan to write one.

[Teigan]

I don't know if this has been posted here, but I found it on my Eldre'thalas guild forum. It is FTW.
http://greyshades.wordpress.com/2010/07 ... -blizzard/

[Aleu]

I don't know if this has been posted here, but I found it on my Eldre'thalas guild forum. It is FTW.
http://greyshades.wordpress.com/2010/07 ... -blizzard/

INTERNET DRAGONS.

[cowmuflage]

has anyone read this they might be makeing wow free one day lol
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/07/01/ ... craft-free

[Kalliope]

Perhaps if everyone who had WoW "liked" on Facebook "unliked" it, that would have an impact on them. Heh.

[Rawr]

Save the tree

[Sarayana]

Perhaps if everyone who had WoW "liked" on Facebook "unliked" it, that would have an impact on them. Heh.

Haha yeah, a phone call from Zuckerberg would work better than anything we might do.

[Slickrock]

I am so waiting for the new Star Wars MMO to come out... I don't think FFIX will do it for me.