WoW: Forever has a new kind of ban to deal with real money trading
Blizzard Entertainment has introduced a new enforcement tool in World of Warcraft: Forever to combat real money trading (RMT). The system, called a “Temporary Economy Hold,” restricts accounts suspected of involvement in buying or selling in-game gold illegally.
When triggered, the Temporary Economy Hold prevents affected players from using key in-game features including the trade system, mail, guild banks, and the Auction House. According to Blizzard’s official announcement, accounts may be subject to this hold if they’re suspected of either selling illicit gold or receiving it from unauthorized sources.
A notable aspect of this enforcement approach is its reversible nature. Blizzard acknowledged that the system is new and may produce false positives as it’s being refined. Crucially, merely receiving a Temporary Economy Hold does not result in permanent account strikes unless the account is subsequently confirmed to have engaged in actual RMT activity.
This represents an interesting middle-ground enforcement strategy between Blizzard’s traditional permanent bans and no action at all. Rather than immediately sanctioning suspected players, the system temporarily restricts their economic activities while investigations proceed. The approach allows innocent players caught by false positives to have their restrictions lifted without permanent consequences.
Real money trading remains one of the persistent challenges facing major MMORPGs, as players seek ways to purchase in-game currency from third-party sellers rather than grinding for it. Blizzard’s new tool reflects the ongoing evolution of anti-RMT strategies in live-service games.