Honestly, I'm pleasantly surprised: Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime just announced that Real ID will no longer be required to post on the SC2 and WoW forums. They are responding to (an unprecedented level of) player feedback and concerns and rescinding Tuesday's announcement. We can all breathe a sigh of relief: we get to continue using the forums without having to risk the dangers of exposing our real names.
I am both overjoyed and relieved. It took them longer than I'd like to figure it out and make a statement, but you have to give them credit for doing the right thing, listening to the players, and even having the Big Man himself sign the statement.
I'm still worried about privacy, and the direction of Real ID. I'm still worried that my game about killing internet dragons will be transmorphed into an intrusive social network. Hell, the fact remains that even if they went back on it, Blizzard still claimed Real ID was "only for people you know and trust" while planning to give out your real name to anyone with an internet connection if you used the forums.
But Blizzard deserves credit and some positive press. And I've re-preordered SC2 and will not be allowing my WoW account to lapse.
I am so glad that I no longer have to choose between my principles and my games. At least for now.
Thank you, Blizzard.
Friday, July 9, 2010
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3 comments:
Making the right move after you're called on a mistake isn't the same thing as not making the avoidable mistake in the first place. They blew a lot of trust and goodwill on this.
They were responsive this time, and their plans have changed "at this time"... but they are playing a dangerous game of chicken, not really looking to do the right thing in the first place.
Earning trust back after you've lost it is one of the hardest things to do as a company.
Blizzard is in bad shape right now, and they're only making it worse with their uppity attitude towards all this.
Agreed, they definitely blew a ton of goodwill and trust.
I ended up going more positive on this post than I actually felt because I've been feeling like my blog is too negative lately. :)
Still wary, but it helps that they at least acknowledged their mistake and backpedaled.
Basically, it went from "I feel morally obligated to stop giving them money" to "now I can at least play these games I'm psyched for".
Well, at least for now, until they figure out which things are optional enough that our protests won't be showing up in the mainstream press.
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