Real-Money Trading
Ongoing coverage on Real-Money Trading.
Latest coverage
World of Warcraft Forever clocks over a million characters created in the beta so far
World of Warcraft Forever's beta has seen over a million characters created, with Hunters being the most popular class. Blizzard Entertainment is also implementing a new 'Temporary Economy Hold' system to combat real-money trading and gold farming.
World of Warcraft: Forever confirms Temporary Economy Holds system to combat gold buying
Blizzard Entertainment has implemented a new Temporary Economy Holds system in World of Warcraft: Forever to combat gold buying and real money trading. While the system is still being tuned and may produce false positives, it aims to crack down on illicit economic activities within the game.
WoW: Forever has a new kind of ban to deal with real money trading
Blizzard Entertainment has introduced a new 'Temporary Economy Hold' system in World of Warcraft to combat real money trading (RMT) and gold buying. Accounts suspected of RMT will face restricted access to trade, mail, and auction house functions. This measure aims to stabilize the game's economy, which is particularly important for persistent MMOs without expansion resets, and prevent issues seen in games like Star Wars: The Old Republic.
World of Warcraft: Forever aims to "aggressively shut down the flow of suspicious gold" – but Blizzard warns there "may be false positives" at first
Blizzard Entertainment is implementing a new system in World of Warcraft: Forever to combat real money trading (RMT) by placing suspected accounts under a Temporary Economy Hold. This measure aims to aggressively shut down the flow of illicit gold, though the studio warns of potential false positives during the initial fine-tuning phase. The system will eventually be deployed to all versions of World of Warcraft if successful.
The WoW: Forever team says it learned a lot from Classic: Season of Discovery, including managing the in-game economy and RMT — but Blizzard will be 'more careful and cautious' with class changes as it 'knew we were going too far'
Blizzard Entertainment has learned from World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery, acknowledging they "went too far" with class changes and will be more cautious with World of Warcraft: Forever. The studio also developed systems to better manage the in-game economy and combat real-money trading, implementing penalties for offenders.
World of Warcraft Forever beta continues to adjust dungeon XP and bans over 4K accounts for RMT
The World of Warcraft beta is continuing its fourth week with an increased level cap and the opening of the City of Dalaran dungeon. Blizzard has banned over 4,000 accounts for real-money trading and is actively adjusting dungeon XP gains. Future updates may include revisiting racial abilities and adding more attunement quests.
Blizzard issues stark warning to WoW: Forever gold buyers 'Engaging in RMT is not worth putting your account at…
Blizzard Entertainment has issued a stern warning to players engaging in real-money trading (RMT) in World of Warcraft: Forever, stating that such activities risk permanent account bans. The studio is actively combating botting and RMT by adjusting in-game abilities that facilitate gold farming and implementing harsher penalties for gold buyers.
WoW Forever player beats Blizzard to the punch, builds add-on that catches real-money trading on the spot
A player-created add-on called 'Illicit Riches Scanner' (IRS) has been developed for World of Warcraft: Forever to detect real-money trading. This comes after Blizzard took action against a streamer for accumulating gold through such means, though many players felt the punishment was insufficient. The add-on scans historical gold income against statistics to flag illegitimate earnings.
Blizzard warns WoW Forever players that its stance on real-money trading is "crystal clear" following beta ban spree: "We will continue to take action"
Blizzard Entertainment has issued a stern warning regarding real-money trading (RMT) in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta, confirming that accounts involved in buying, selling, or receiving illicit gold will face consequences ranging from gold removal to permanent bans. The company reiterated its clear stance against RMT, emphasizing the seriousness with which they are treating the in-game economy, especially in light of past issues with practices like GDKP.
Blizzard is already cracking down on real-money trading in World of Warcraft Forever as devs take $200 worth of gold from alleged rule-breaker: "They left me with 9 silver"
Blizzard Entertainment is actively cracking down on real-money trading in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta. Twitch streamer Ziqo had his accumulated gold, estimated to be worth $200, confiscated by the developers, leaving him with only nine silver. This action demonstrates Blizzard's commitment to maintaining the integrity of the game's in-game economy.
Blizzard warns World of Warcraft: Forever players it will 'very aggressively' punish anyone who buys gold with…
Blizzard Entertainment has announced a stricter stance against real-money trading (RMT) and gold buying in World of Warcraft, with senior game designer Josh Greenfield stating that offenders will be 'very aggressively punished.' The company aims to prevent severe inflation and maintain the integrity of the in-game economy, warning players that account bans are a potential consequence.
WoW: Forever doesn't allow GDKP, Blizzard says the new MMO's economy is "something we're taking very…
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the upcoming MMO World of Warcraft: Forever will not allow GDKP (Gold Dragon Kill Points) loot systems. Senior game designer Josh Greenfield stated that the decision is to protect social experiences and prevent the system from overtaking traditional guild structures and creating barriers for new players. The company will actively monitor the game's economy to combat issues like real-money trading and botting.
Quinfall parts ways with a community manager who allegedly engaged in cheating and RMT
Vawraek Technology has parted ways with a community manager for Quinfall due to alleged involvement in cheating and real money trading. The company stated that a restructuring of community communication and player relations was necessary, and all management duties will now be directly supervised by the development team. Speculation is rife within the player base regarding the specifics of the community manager's actions.
Fenris Creations’ fumbled moderation of an alleged EVE Online RMT streamer frustrates fans
EVE Online players are frustrated with CCP Games' handling of streamer Lorumerth's alleged real money trading activities. CCP Swift admitted to not providing full context to the moderation team, leading to a punishment that only addressed giveaway policy violations and not the exchange of spaceships for money. Players are disappointed with the perceived leniency towards an influencer.
Indie MMORPG SpiritVale sees 20,000 concurrent players as the dev fights economy-wrecking bots
The indie MMORPG SpiritVale has reached 20,000 concurrent players on Steam despite facing issues with bots and real money trading. Developer Baikun Interactive has shut down the game's demo to combat exploitation and is actively working to address botting and economic disruption, though some players have criticized temporary market closures.
"They will hopefully p*** off": As World of Warcraft players take on the Casino Bots themselves, lead confirms Blizzard has "a few folks looking into ideas" to get rid of them
Blizzard Entertainment is investigating ways to combat casino bots in World of Warcraft, which are used for real money trading and advertising. Senior game producer Tom Ellis confirmed the company is aware of the issue and is working on solutions to make the activity less lucrative for gold sellers. Players have taken to combating these bots themselves in the interim.
WoW Classic players are in an arms race against annoying RMT casinos, but Blizzard's working on strategies so…
Players in World of Warcraft Classic are encountering gold sellers advertising in-game casino games, which violates the game's terms of service. Blizzard Entertainment is aware of the issue and is developing strategies to combat this form of real money trading more effectively. Senior game producer Tom Ellis confirmed that the company is working to make this activity less lucrative and faster to remove from the game.
MMORPG The Quinfall announces a new project to name and shame cheaters and RMT bots
Vawraek Technology, the developer of the MMORPG The Quinfall, has announced a new 'Wall of Shame' project to publicly list banned players. This initiative aims to increase transparency regarding rule violations such as real money trading and cheating. The studio previously stated that around 100 RMT accounts were actioned.
Path of Exile could be cracking down harder on RMT, as player reports warning message
Grinding Gear Games appears to be intensifying its efforts against real money trading (RMT) in Path of Exile, with players reporting new warning messages for engaging in such activities. The developer emphasizes that RMT damages the game's economy and fairness. This crackdown follows speculation about the banning of a prominent trading server owner, suggesting a more concerted push to address RMT.
Path of Exile's richest player and item trading kingpin gets banned and pleads with Grinding Gear Games to restore 'more than 1,500 items, some of which can't ever be recreated': 'This is the worst day of my life'
Path of Exile's top player and leader of The Forbidden Trove (TFT), Jenebu, has been banned from the game. This ban has raised concerns about illicit real-money trading and the future of the popular item trading community. Jenebu is reportedly pleading with Grinding Gear Games to restore over 1,500 items.
