Blizzard Official Forums Will Require Real World Names

Blizzard, the creator of such popular franchises as Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft, has announced that using the new Real ID feature on the official forums of the company will require that gamers use their real names. It seems the Starcraft II forum and the World of Warcraft one will be the first to be affected by the requirement, while others, for certain classic games, will not require the real world name for posters for some time.

Nethaera, a Blizzard representative with a constant presence on the official forums, says, “The official forums have always been a great place to discuss the latest info on our games, offer ideas and suggestions, and share experiences with other players - however, the forums have also earned a reputation as a place where flame wars, trolling, and other unpleasantness run wild.”

Blizzard is aiming to bring in some responsibility to the medium, needed because of the big launches coming for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and the Cataclysm expansion for the World of Warcraft MMO.

Nethaera adds, “Removing the veil of anonymity typical to online dialogue will contribute to a more positive forum environment, promote constructive conversations, and connect the Blizzard community in ways they haven’t been connected before.”

The Real ID system was announced during the beta stage for Starcraft II and is allowing players who are also friends to add each other to a new list where their forum name is displayed alongside the information they offered when initially setting up their Battle.net account.

The feature will allow cross game chat to take place between World of Warcraft and Starcraft II starting with July 27, when the real-time strategy sequel launches worldwide. It's not clear what means the company has to verify whether the data offered by players when creating accounts and registering games is legitimate or not.