TheWorld of WarcraftClassiccommunity is quick to pick up on back-end changes that haven’t been discussed by Activision Blizzard and some players are being silenced due to mass reports, with some being unwarranted. After someWorld of Warcraft Classicplayers discussed being kicked from battlegrounds in a disconnect because they were mass reported, multiple prominent content creators in the space have tested the report function to some startling results.
PopularWorld of Warcraft ClassicTwitch streamers Asmongold and Staysafe TV have both made videos discussing the mass reporting issues affecting some players in theWoW Classiccommunity that are particularly impacting the PvP portion of it.World of Warcraft Classichas entered thepre-patch forWrath of the Lich Kingin anticipation of its addition on September 26, and instances, raids, and battlegrounds are seeing an influx of players that are preparing for the second expansion forClassic WoW. Due to the influx of players, some players are reporting certain users for being AFK or spamming chat when they aren’t which results in harsh punishments for those that have been flagged to Activision Blizzard.
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World of Warcraft Classicplayers that are being suspended due to mass reports are still able to log in and play the game, but with some severe limitations that last for several days and prevent them from properly interacting with others or forming groups. Players that are hit with this silencing during battlegrounds are being removed from them, potentially resulting in unfair losses or forfeited matches that would’ve otherwise played out. Given the communal nature of theActivision Blizzard MMO, this silencing is having big repercussions when it’s wrongly applied to some accounts like Staysafe TV’s while also being used as an effective tool to combat in-game toxicity.
According to Activision Blizzard, the necessary measures are taken based on a player’s actions “or data about their actions” as certain steps are made during the banning process, referencing the manyWorld of Warcraft Classicfans that have alerted developers to an issue. PopularTwitch streamer Asmongoldhas said just like Staysafe TV did in his video that there are ways these players could be silenced using this process maliciously like if a livestreamer tells their audience to report specific character names. Activision Blizzard has confirmed that the drastic punishment associated with this reporting function is a byproduct of a bug that is being looked at by data analysts, and stated that some accounts will be reinstated after reviewing the metrics.
Although a fewWorld of Warcraft Classicfans have noted an issue with this mass report system, most players have found out about its flaws through content creators like Asmongold and Staysafe TV rather than directly experiencing it themselves. It’s currently unclear when the silencing ofWorld of Warcraft Classicplayers will stop as a result of these potentially inorganic reports, but Activision Blizzard is working to rectify things ahead ofWrath of the Lich King’s launch.
World of Warcraft Classicis available now for Mac and PC.
