Blizzard Sues To Take Down Another Private World of Warcraft Server, Project Ascension
Aftermath • • technology
Key Points:
- Blizzard Entertainment has filed a lawsuit in California against Project Ascension developers, accusing them of copyright infringement, DMCA violations, and other claims related to unauthorized use of World of Warcraft (WoW) software.
- The complaint alleges Project Ascension has over a million players and has distributed millions of pirated copies of WoW, generating millions of dollars through sales of in-game currency called Donation Points.
- Blizzard claims Project Ascension operates on Russian "bulletproof" servers linked to a sanctioned cybercriminal-supporting company, signaling willful unlawful activity, and that the project has caused significant financial and intellectual property harm to Blizzard.
- Project Ascension allows players to create custom WoW characters by combining classes, bypassing Blizzard's servers and subscription fees through a downloadable client that reportedly removes Blizzard's security protections.
- This lawsuit follows Blizzard’s successful legal action against another private WoW server, Turtle WoW, and comes amid calls from private server communities for Blizzard to establish a formal licensing framework for fan-run servers.