In the Chinese Version of World of Warcraft, Punishment Now Applies Not Only to RMT Sellers but Also to Their Clients
The main problem of modern World of Warcraft is the trade of in-game valuables for real money. RMT undermines server economies, devalues the achievements of honest players, and turns Azeroth into a soulless marketplace.
Blizzard has long been fighting this. Back in 2005, the company introduced the Warden system and later won several landmark lawsuits against bot network organizers, achieving recognition of bots as hacking tools. In 2015, WoW Tokens appeared—a legal alternative to the black market. This was followed by bans on boosting advertisements, multiboxing, and entire boosting organizations.
The Chinese partner NetEase went further. The company launched a large-scale campaign against violators. The result: public lists of banned accounts, where character names are only partially hidden, creating strong social pressure. More than 65,000 records have already been published on the official website.
But the main thing is the new punishments for buyers. Instead of temporary bans, violators have their gear, mounts, titles completely confiscated and even have their records removed from the Hall of Fame. Buying progress has become senselessly risky.
Does it work? The gold market in the Chinese region is indeed shaking. But in Europe and the USA, such methods are impossible due to strict personal data protection laws.