10 Recent Truths About Gaming We've Just Learned
8. Players Don't Own Their Custom Warcraft III: Reforged Games
The long-awaited update to Blizzard's classic Warcraft series is finally here with Warcraft III: Reforged, and fans are buying the game like crazy. The newly released game features advanced graphics and gameplay, which make the title feel fresh and brand new. There is a catch when it comes to modding, and players aren't too happy about it.
Warcraft gamers have been modding the game in numerous ways for years, and because Blizzard knows it's going to happen with Reforged, the company added the following to their user agreement:
"Custom Games are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of Blizzard. Without limiting the foregoing, you hereby assign to Blizzard all of your rights, title, and interest in and to all Custom Games, including but not limited to any copyrights in the content of any Custom Games."
It seems unfair upon first glance, but then there's the example of Dota, or Defense of the Ancients. That game was insanely popular all over the world, but it began as a community-made mod of Warcraft III.
Dota eventually spawned Dota 2, and if you know anything about competitive gaming, it's pretty clear why Blizzard wanted full ownership of any modified games based on Warcraft III: Reforged.