wow Policy Update for Organized In-Game Services: January 2022

[Staff 1,375]

Blizzard today posted an update on organized in-game services, prohibiting boosting communities who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold. Accounts found to be in violation of this policy will be suspended.

The prohibition is mostly aimed at communities that offer boosting services across multiple realms.

(Source)

As the conditions change by which various entities operate in World of Warcraft, we are compelled to update our policies to further our goal of making the gameplay experience as fair and welcoming as possible. Since we last updated our policies, we have found that an increasing disturbance of the gameplay experience has been caused by organizations excessively advertising various non-traditional services in-game.

As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold. World of Warcraft accounts found to be in violation of this policy are subject to account actions. These actions can include warnings, account suspensions and, if necessary, permanent closure of the disruptive World of Warcraft account(s). Organizations operating across multiple realms and excessively advertising non-traditional in-game sales are contrary to the terms and conditions of the Blizzard End-User License Agreement (EULA).

This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency. However, “boosting communities”, especially those who operate across multiple realms, are no longer permitted.

We urge all such organizations to cease doing business in World of Warcraft immediately, in order to maintain uninterrupted access to the game.

[Rhondis 148]

About time.

[Cheatcho 45]

Welcome to 2022.

[Prophet001 543]

buh i fought teh auphentikator wuz unna fiss all tis

😢

 

[Babel 39]

Wait, what? Doesn't this line

"As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold."

contradict this line?

"This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency."

It basically says "you can't boost people for gold, but you can boost people for gold"

Edited January 31, 2022 by Babel

[Leaflauncher 8]

About time! 

[Prophet001 543]

4 minutes ago, Babel said:

Wait, what? Doesn't this line

"As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold."

contradict this line?

"This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency."

It basically says "you can't boost people for gold, but you can boost people for gold"

It is specifically restricting organizations from boosting.

[Prophet001 543]

Just now, Leaflauncher said:

About time! 

Right!  I agree.

Now let me make a group that I can ask for a Rogue in the custom text window with without using 2FA...

...because that change was pointless.

[Mascaron 40]

3 minutes ago, Babel said:

Wait, what? Doesn't this line

"As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold."

contradict this line?

"This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency."

This release is relying heavily on the words "organization" and "non-traditional" like they hold a special meaning. Frankly, I don't see it. Every guild can be considered an organization.

So what line are they trying to draw here? Are they attempting to crack down on the big communities that do sales and boosts? Like if your discord gets too big you'll get banned? But if you stay small and guild-like you'll have plausible deniability?

Oh, and don't forget about escrow. Blizz might as well ban every RWF guild right now seeing as 100's of millions of gold pass through them to facilitate the race.

[Hack 4]

Should have been stamped out a very long time. Now maybe people will actually *gasp* earn their rewards, instead of paying for them with their credit card. It should cut down on chat spam and maybe even increase the amount of PUG groups.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Hack

[Antimagic 25]

33 minutes ago, Babel said:

Wait, what? Doesn't this line

"As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold."

contradict this line?

"This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency."

It basically says "you can't boost people for gold, but you can boost people for gold"

I think they mean u can sell BoE and stuff like that just not bosting.

[Calysia 220]

Long overdue!

[Arcling 877]

53 minutes ago, Mascaron said:

So what line are they trying to draw here? Are they attempting to crack down on the big communities that do sales and boosts? Like if your discord gets too big you'll get banned? But if you stay small and guild-like you'll have plausible deniability?

Looks like they are specifically targeting multi-server organized communities. I remember there was that Gallywix Community that was shut down at one point, so this is probably what they consider as "organized".

Now, how effective will it be? To what extent? It's going to make advertising a bit harder, but my guess is people will work around this system. Before, there were already some advertisements pretending to be something else (like runs for gold, while in fact they were for real money). Doubt they are all going to disappear, plus there are also guilds making real money from carry runs, not just larger organizations. Anyway, I won't be sad if at least some of them will be gone.

[Meurik 33]

2 hours ago, Babel said:

Wait, what? Doesn't this line

"As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold."

contradict this line?

"This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency."

It basically says "you can't boost people for gold, but you can boost people for gold"

No, you misunderstood...

What it says is: Organizations, will be prohibited from boosting others (even for gold). It said nothing about individuals, or guilds boosting others.

[navysilan 34]

But why, what is the problem?

[Ain 20]

I'm hoping this means it'll get taken out of group finder and restrict them to trade chat. Gold or not cash idc I report everyone in group finder to get it out of my view and get on about my business and let Blizzard sort through the complaints. Kudos to people who can sell content on a game that's already taken my money but I find it despicable.

[Dreadnyou 0]

6 hours ago, Babel said:

Wait, what? Doesn't this line

"As of today, we will now prohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold."

contradict this line?

"This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency."

It basically says "you can't boost people for gold, but you can boost people for gold"

You can still boost and what not through "Normal" means such as guilds and players looking to make some extra gold but you are not allowed to become "Steve's Gold Boosting Services" and operate across multiple realms. I'm assuming it's because it's Real Money Trading but it's a step in the right direction.

[SidonisAntares 288]

This isn't just a crack at the 'Gallywix' boosting communities, but also a stab at the streamers who offer free runs so long as you join their Twitch stream, many of which are monetized.

[Babel 39]

8 hours ago, Meurik said:

No, you misunderstood...

What it says is: Organizations, will be prohibited from boosting others (even for gold). It said nothing about individuals, or guilds boosting others.

Organizations can create guilds. Player temporarily joins said guild, they provide services, player transfer gold to guild bank or pays via whatever means have been estabilished, is boosted to their hearts content, leaves the guild, profit. "But we were only gearing up our guildie! Who knew he would leave right after! We're the victims here!"

Guild gets a new member, they gear them up, then the new guy leaves. Can you distinguish those two cases?

Individuals can be part of organizations, all they need is discord or other method of communication, then a group of individuals creates a "pug", does the boosting, profit agai.

So what's the difference? It's still a you can't boos, but you can boost situation.

 

9 hours ago, Antimagic said:

I think they mean u can sell BoE and stuff like that just not bosting.

It said in game activity. Boosting is also in game activity.

[Arcling 877]

11 hours ago, Babel said:

Organizations can create guilds. Player temporarily joins said guild, they provide services, player transfer gold to guild bank or pays via whatever means have been estabilished, is boosted to their hearts content, leaves the guild, profit. "But we were only gearing up our guildie! Who knew he would leave right after! We're the victims here!"

I guess they would have enough data if all of it happens on same account and similar activity is often registered on multiple servers, which stands out from most players. But yeah, some people will likely learn how to circumvent these new rules, yet still it makes advertising for them much harder and those looking for such services have to now actively search for them, rather than just stumbling upon some adverts on chat.

[Guest]

and yet, my armor still doesn't cover my belly button... 2 steps forward, 4 back.