Huge World of Warcraft Server Is Being Sued by Blizzard

World of Warcraft players, despite friction with Blizzard and game vision changes over the years, still had a refuge from disappointing developments in the form of player-run private servers like Turtle WoW. One of the most populated private servers, often regarded as one of the best, Turtle WoW provided a slower experience that emphasized leveling and challenged players with additional zones and quest content. Now, a new action from Blizzard has threatened this once safe haven for players to avoid level boosting, the WoW token, and other common complaints players have with the official version of the MMO.

Blizzard has filed a lawsuit in California against the creators of Turtle WoW, alleging the private server has been peeling players away from Blizzard’s community and infringing on the company’s intellectual property and copyright in a way that Blizzard describes as “brazen” and “cannibalistic.” This lawsuit comes before the planned release of Turtle WoW 2.0, which is billed to be a fan-made project developed in Unreal Engine 5 by the creators of the private server.

Blizzard Is Taking Action Against Emulated Servers

In its complaint, Blizzard asserts that Turtle WoW’s use of unauthorized servers and the creator’s direct actions have hurt the overall player experience and driven away dedicated subscribers. This gripe makes sense, given the vast amount of money a World of Warcraft player could have spent since launch.

“Recently, Turtle WoW has been brazenly escalating its efforts to cannibalize and disrupt Blizzard’s WoW player community by, for example, increasing its social media presence, partnering with video game influencers, and actively promoting a new version of its infringing game: ‘Turtle WoW 2.0,’” the complaint says.

In addition to infringing on intellectual property, distributing pirated copies of the game, and diverting players away from legitimate World of Warcraft, Blizzard also accused the Turtle WoW creators of violating US law in the form of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) through their actions. Blizzard asked the court to give instructions regarding the defendant’s conduct and award the company monetary damages at trial.

In response to the filing, Turtle WoW team member known online as Torta, who is named in the lawsuit, posted a statement on Discord expressing that the team was willing to stand in defiance against Blizzard’s actions.

“Turtle WoW is here to stay. Challenges come to us often, and each time we are prepared to face them. We remain fully committed to delivering the Turtle WoW experience that you’ve come to love over the years,” wrote Torta (via PC Gamer)

I feel like this situation is a tricky one. While it seems like Blizzard has the legal right to protect its copyright and attempt to take down fan projects that are affecting their business, the fact that such projects have been allowed to operate for years without legal repercussions makes it feel like Turtle WoW is being singled out when there are several other popular private servers currently in operation. While Blizzard blames Turtle WoW for driving its player base away, the truth is that players were already seeking a place to escape unpopular changes to the retail and classic versions of the game.

This problem reminds me of a classic Gabe Newell quote, who said in an old Escapist interview that “piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem.” If Blizzard were offering what many players wanted, then these private servers featuring substantial overhauls to the game would not be presenting an audience capture issue in the first place. Gamers as a whole seem to feel like Valve has taken the right approach over the years, recently standing up to payment processors in recent drama with PayPal and Mastercard.

What are your feelings on Blizzard’s actions to protect their intellectual property? Are they justified in going after Turtle WoW’s creators, or should a compromise be reached between the company and fans of the series who want something besides what Blizzard is willing to offer?

5 MMOs From the 2000s That Are Still Thriving With Dedicated Fans