Well it seems that one gamer who happens to be the top moderator for the World of Warcraft subreddit r/WoW decided to do something about it by taking the entire subreddit offline. This was done as a sign of protest and according to the moderator Nitesmoke, “It will be back the moment I am able to log into WoW. That is the fact of the matter and everyone’s opinion on me is irrelevent.”
Many have protested this as they felt that this was an abuse of power and have since called Nitesmoke’s actions “childish” and “spiteful”. Another moderator aphoenix supported Nitesmoke’s actions and said, “Being that we typically log a million hits per day, /r/wow has a significant claim as a fan website. ‘Going dark’ in protest has worked for a variety of other protests, and it could work for this as well.”
It even caught the attention of Blizzard’s own community representatives, such as Jonathan Brown who wrote, “I’ve always appreciated what you’ve done but r/WoW shouldn’t be a hostage. It should always be there for the community.” The subreddit has gone back online but what do you guys think? Was this a clear abuse of power, or do you agree that Blizzard needs to be protested in order for them to get their affairs in order?
It should be noted that this isn’t the first time Blizzard has faced criticism regarding its launches. For example a couple of years ago, Diablo 3 was hit with similar server issues that basically wouldn’t let gamers login and enjoy the game. With several new Blizzard titles in the works such as Overwatch and StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void, here’s hoping Blizzard will figure out a solution by then.