Blizzard Puts Over 100,000 Cheaters On Ice In Epic 'World of Warcraft' Banning Spree

Like many MMORPGs, World of Warcraft can be a grind. To sidestep the time commitment required to continually level up a character, gather resources, improve skills, or whatever else is desired, some gamers turn to bots, software that automates the process. The only problem is, Activision Blizzard isn't so keen on this behavior and has dropped the ban hammer hard on gamers who've been using them.

Activision Blizzard didn't specify exactly how many people it booted, saying only that it was a "large number of World of Warcraft accounts." However, a screenshot of a conversation between a player, Game Master, and Activision Blizzard employee suggests that over 100,000 World of Warcraft accounts were identified and booted.


"We’ve recently taken action against a large number of World of Warcraft accounts that were found to be using third-party programs that automate gameplay, known as 'bots'. We’re committed to providing an equal and fair playing field for everyone in World of Warcraft, and will continue to take action against those found in violation of our Terms of Use. Cheating of any form will not be tolerated," Activision Blizzard said.

The good news for affected gamers is that the bans don't appear to be permanent. Based on the aforementioned conversation, those caught using bots in World of Warcraft are subject to a six-month suspension. Still, that's a long time, especially for an expansive MMORPG that's become known as World of Warcrack due to its addictive nature.