World of Warcraft : Battle.Net to Display Real Names
Blizzard Entertainment has put up a new notice on the official Battle.net forums about the upcoming changes to the user name display. Sure to be controversial, the rather stunning move is part of the 'Real ID' feature and posters will have their true first and last names displayed once the new B.net features are in place.
Interestingly, the first 'defense' of the new system is that the Blizzard forums have become, according to the development team, a place where flame wars and rampant trolling are prevalent. Citing the removal of the 'anonymity factor' for posters, Blizzard feels that a more civil atmosphere will be maintained.
The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID -- that is, their real-life first and last name -- with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.
