Yesterday, Blizzard launched the somewhat awaited Warcraft 3: Reforged, a remaster of the original Warcraft but with enhanced visuals. In what should have been a day of joy amongst fans was instead a day of anger, disappointment, and harsh criticism from the community.
The most apparent issue with the game are seen in the blatant visual downgrades from what was shown off in hands-on playable builds from the past year. Multiple discussions about this downgrade can be found at sites like ResetEra, Reddit, and even Blizzard's own community forums. It has even caught the attention of larger media sites like IGN, who have put up their own visual comparison video showing some of the differences.
These downgrades and changes can be found throughout the in-game cinematics, the pre-rendered cinematics, and the gameplay itself. If that were everything, it might not have even been newsworthy. But there's more. There's always more.
Fans of the game have noticed something peculiar. They claim to have witnessed multiple users banned before their eyes simply for offering up suggestions and help related to getting refunds for Warcraft 3: Reforged. Of course, there could be any number of reasons for someone to be banned. Maybe something was done or said by the users that wasn't public facing that was, indeed, worthy of a ban. Though to be fair to the community, Blizzard tends to have a hair trigger when it comes to bans.
In addition, those who were still enjoying the original release noticed that features are now missing that existed for literally years prior to yesterday. For instance, clans are apparently no longer a thing. You cannot play or make custom campaigns now. Profiles, automated tournaments and social channel listings are just gone. Specific balance adjustments that were made for Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos are now gone (now just uses The Frozen Throne across all content).
But it still gets worse!
PCGamer notes some very interesting changes made to the typical Blizzard acceptable use policy. To begin with, the agreement now says that any custom games that use copyrighted material from third-parties is banned. According to Blizzard user ThunderPope, this would effectively kill off a fair number of older mods and maps that have already been created for Warcraft 3. Some of these include content like Anime Fight, DBZ Tribute, and Pimp My Mario. All of those are no longer allowed to be remade under the new policy.
3. Use of Third Party Content in Custom Games. You represent and warrant that neither the content you use to create or incorporate into any Custom Games, nor the compilation, arrangement or display of such content (collectively, the “User Contentâ€), infringes or will infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or other intellectual property right of any third party. You further represent and warrant that you will not use or contribute User Content that is unlawful, tortious, defamatory, obscene, invasive of the privacy of another person, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, racist or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate. In the event that Blizzard learns of the existence of a third party claim related to a Custom Game, Blizzard reserves the right to remove or block the Custom Game from any Blizzard-owned platform.
However, it's the part of the policy that says all custom games created in Reforged are now the property of Blizzard that has fans up in arms. If you make a custom game, no matter how simple or elaborate it is, it now belongs to Blizzard. Blizzard has immediate and complete ownership of that that custom game just like that. No questions asked. This isn't the first time such a policy has been used, but it does stink to high heaven.
Blizzard's policy actually goes a step beyond even that. The new policy says that any custom game made in Warcraft 3: Reforged cannot be replicated anywhere else.
4. Commercial Exploitation of Custom Games. Unless otherwise authorized by Blizzard in writing, Custom Game developers cannot develop Custom Games for profit. Accordingly, a Custom Game cannot be sold, licensed, or rented by any party other than Blizzard, nor can the Custom Game contain features that would support purchase transactions of any tangible or intangible content.
A big defense at the time of the legal dispute was the fact that Dota was a fan-made creation and thus Blizzard had no rights to it. With this updated policy, that would be a much tougher argument to win if that legal battle were to happen now.
For those who are considering making a mod or a custom map for Warcraft 3: Reforged, you may want to think twice.
