Patch 7.2 PTR - Build 23708

Recent Action Against Real-Money Raid Clears
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
We’ve recently taken action against a number of accounts that were actively participating in and/or advertising the sale of in-game raid or dungeon clears in exchange for real-world currency. Such behavior is a clear violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use.

Of the players affected, many were members of top raiding guilds. We want to be clear that everyone we’ve taken action against had illustrated full knowledge and intent to violate the Terms of Use. Going forward, in order to ensure fair play and competitive integrity, we’ll be monitoring these activities much more closely in order to make sure that the rules are being followed. This includes selling services for real money, account-sharing, and other violations.

Note that while selling assistance with obtaining items, achievements, PvP rating, or other in-game benefits for real-world currency is against the Terms of Use, selling those things in exchange for in-game gold is perfectly legitimate. Players should not feel as though participating in a “gold run” is going to result in negative action taken against their account.

If you see people advertising these services, please help us keep the game clean by reporting them. If you’re unsure, here are some common warning signs:

  • A “broker” is offering to match buyers with service-providers. Commonly, a broker will collect real-world currency from a buyer while offering gold to a guild or group that will actually provide the service.
  • Someone offering a service is unwilling to discuss terms of payment via in-game tells, and insists on using a non-Blizzard application to communicate.

Also note that Patch 7.2 includes some improvements to our reporting features to add clearer categories for reporting listings in the Premade Group Finder. We’re disappointed to see members of the raiding community participating in behaviors that clearly violate the Terms of Use, and want to be clear that such activities will not be tolerated.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Recent Action Against Real-Money Raid Clears started by chaud View original post
Comments 291 Comments
  1. Hotmail's Avatar
    World of Warcraft: One of the most addictive games ever made. A game which, once upon a time, was meant to be played 6 hours or more per day.

    Is it any surprise that some have managed to turn their favorite hobby into a source of income? Should this not be applauded?

    Many PvP guilds would see their credibility shattered if their officer core couldn't buy ratings or achievements, and many top players are not going to offer the service for a mere fictional sum of pixels. Think about this one long and hard, Blizzard.
  1. Kendros's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Aquinan View Post
    What I thought was interesting is that they say "gold" runs are fine. Yet with the advent of the WoW tokens, gold has a real currency value. So really whats the difference there, if gold has has a $ value surely its pretty much the same thing?
    Its their game, their rules and their profits that are being taken when someone buys a carry for real money. So yes theres a difference where and how you buy that carry, they are right to take actions on that matter just like any other company would take action when being ripped off by someone.
  1. Not A Cat's Avatar
    Finally, damn.

    It's so annoying when the premade group finder is full of "WTS AOTC BLAH BLAH" I don't care if people want to sell them for gold, but advertise that shit in trade and don't fill the premade group finder with that garbage.
  1. Sanguiris's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by nekobaka View Post
    Thinking back about it I do recall posts last expansion complaining about streamers offering to sell runs for donations. Not surprised how brazen some got given the lack of action from Blizzard.

    Time will tell if any streamers was targeted or if only those who advertised in game.
    giving something for a donation is sellinng services with money whatever words they chose to use.
  1. hulkgor's Avatar
    Good riddance.

    So many "WTS , visit WOWSOMETHING.WTV" groups on the finder it was completely out of hand.

    Glad to know all the reports accomplished something (wishful thinking?)
  1. Alayea's Avatar
    "Hell, it's about time."
  1. araine's Avatar
    excellent the faster we can get rid of these for money scams the better it is
  1. nekobaka's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sanguiris View Post
    giving something for a donation is sellinng services with money whatever words they chose to use.
    I agree. Historically though Blizzard has had a history of not following the evidence trail past in game communication and logs aside from Overwatch. There has been a number of cases over the years of admittance of harassment and griefing on streams with no action from Blizzard. Admittedly there is more direct financial motivation for Blizzard in this case.
  1. TheRabidDeer's Avatar
    While it's good, I wonder how Blizzard can take that position when WoW gold can be practically sold for real life money with the exchange over to blizzard store money.
  1. Socialhealer's Avatar
    need the dirt on some top players getting banned.
  1. fizyx's Avatar
    While real cash raid selling HAS been going on forever, I see a significant difference in the current iteration of it that hasn't really been present prior to this xpack: The proliferation of IN GAME advertising and spamming for real cash raid clears. Honestly, it's likely that if people had just kept that offline like they did for the better part of a decade, I don't think it would have been a problem, and we never would have seen anything like this (Especially because it would be very difficult to prove that something against the TOS was happening if all the transaction stuff took place offline). But with it all in game now... I'm glad Blizzard has taken action like this. I have no problem with someone buying a raid clear, tbh. Just keep that crap from mucking up communications and group finding in game.
  1. Mask's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Deiae View Post
    gold has limited use. how many plushies or how much game time can you possibly use?
    You must not know me very well.
  1. Polybius's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRabidDeer View Post
    While it's good, I wonder how Blizzard can take that position when WoW gold can be practically sold for real life money with the exchange over to blizzard store money.
    The WoW token you buy doesn't magically come from an AI. It is bought by a players for $20 ($5 for the permission to trade gold; $15 for the game time). The person buying the Token isn't getting free Blizzard money, it comes from another player's pocket.

    In other words, money is still being put into the Blizzard store. It's not a bank or the auction house from Diablo 3. If it were, they'd have legal issues.
  1. Spotnick's Avatar
    Well, you can buy gold with real money.. so it's just cutting the middle man isn't it? Wait, that middle man can be Blizzard now, that's why.

    Anyways not like it's really a good source of income when you split it by 20-25 people.. 5 man carries (challenge modes) were where the profit was.. I don't know if Mythic+ are as profitable as the MOP CM were.
  1. Deiae's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mask View Post
    You must not know me very well.
    You are right. If I think about it some more ofcourse the sellruns will continue. I foresee a big plushy influx where plushies take the place of real currencies and you get groceries and pay rent in plushies. What a time to be alive. Gotta invest in plastics that are used to make plushies right now ^^.
  1. Soluna's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulli85 View Post
    In other words.. "Some players were doing a job and getting paid on the outside and us, Blizzard, were not getting our due cut. Now we're going to more closely monitor these players to make sure the bads actually purchase WoW tokens from us so we get our money, then they can pay those players for their time with make believe digital currency"
    I guess you are one of those people that got banned and are salty. If so, I am overjoyed to hear that
    It will be much better for the game if stupid idiots trying to make a living out of WoW and spamming the hell out of trade chat are gone
  1. Waniou's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Majalahti View Post
    Blizzard gets the $$$ from WoW token, boosters get only gold. Blizz didn't get anything from these real money runs. That's the difference.
    The other difference is it lets Blizzard keep a closer eye on potential scammers. People sell a run for gold, the buyer pays up and then the sellers take the gold and run? Blizzard can step in and take action. People sell a run for real money and the same thing happens? Suddenly it's a much, much messier situation.
  1. BellicoseAxe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRabidDeer View Post
    While it's good, I wonder how Blizzard can take that position when WoW gold can be practically sold for real life money with the exchange over to blizzard store money.
    You can't withdraw money from your Blizzard store wallet which means that, once the money is in there, it will benefit Blizzard no matter what. Real cash exchanges made through services such as Paypal, on the other hand, don't benefit Blizzard in any way, shape or form.
    Quote Originally Posted by Socialhealer View Post
    need the dirt on some top players getting banned.
    Wouldn't that be naming and shaming?
  1. PowerOfTwo's Avatar
    Woooooooow you people are scary... wth? "The top guilds in the world were making a living off WoW. TO BAD! LET THEM STARVE!" - The WoW comunity O_o. You're endorsing the suffering of another human being you sick FUCKS!. Like this will pretty much kill the World First scene just because the GM's / Officers of those guilds COULD live off playing WoW thus could put the insane hours in to compete...

    Also, the spin on this is... horrifying "something that was ok for the last decade is no longer ok because .... reasons. By the by it's still toooootaly ok guys if you pay us instead." Somewhere in the design document of Legion , written in golden letters with the popes piss is "just do the oposite of everything players were used to since vanila". I've seen blizzard do some questionable shit in the past but this .... ow this is in a whole new level... fuckin speechles.
  1. Brewhan's Avatar
    Thanks Blizzard it's about time hopefully this does some lasting impact with all the spam in premade group finder and also in trade chats. I was looking on some top ilvl specs on wow progress ( of the same character I play) to compare trinkets with my own and I noticed a lot of those players had like 35-40+ guldan heroic kills.. makes me wonder if they were selling guldan AOTC kills for money since these people were like 920 equipped ilvl.. I guess if you play 12hrs+ a day and do 3000 mythic+ runs you gotta be able to pay for groceries develiered on that no life grind.

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