Blizzard issues severe warnings and bans for gold trading in WoW Forever beta

Blizzard is taking a hard line against real-money trading in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta, and high-profile streamers are feeling the heat. According to a report from IGN, the studio has started enforcing its policies with account penalties and new in-game warnings.

Community Manager Kaivax reiterated the company's firm stance in a forum post. The policy states that any player account involved in the creation, sale, purchase, or acquisition of unauthorized currency faces potential sanctions, including gold removal, temporary suspensions, or permanent bans.

IGN details that streamer Ziqo had a large sum of gold confiscated, reportedly leaving his character stranded with minimal funds. While his account was not banned, other creators have faced stricter consequences. Streamer Payo reportedly had one beta account banned for promoting gold buying services, despite his claims of never purchasing any himself.

The report notes that visible streamers may be receiving swifter action than the average player. Blizzard is also implementing a new trade window alert to warn players about accepting large gold sums from strangers. These measures aim to curb economic distortion before the game's full launch on November 4.