A few days ago Blizzard announced that their RealID system would be implemented on their gaming forums in the near future, but just a few days later it seems that this plan has been rescinded. So the horror story of users being forced to post under their real first and last name seems like it will not come to pass. Instead users will post with their StarCraft 2 character name and code on the new StarCraft 2 forum and comparable systems will be in place for other Blizzard game forums.
In a new topic on the StarCraft 2 forums, Mike Morhaim, Blizzard’s CEO, announced that there will still be a forum upgrade, but this will not include the RealID system at this time. That leaves open the possibility of it being implemented at a later stage, but given the massive public outcry against this move, and the harrassment an unfortunate Blizzard employee had to endure after testing the waters, that would seem unlikely. I had thought this RealID implementation was already a done deal, but I’m glad that Blizzard proved me wrong.
Fortunately, it seems that the other forum improvements will still be implemented. This includes rating posts up or down, improved search functionality and displaying posts based on their rating. These do seem like assets that would greatly improve the Blizzard forum experience and hopefully Blizzard will continue to listen to user feedback as they continue to improve their online services like Battle.net and the Blizzard forums.
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