Blizzard caused a near-riot recently when it proposed the “Real ID” initiative — a scheme whereby forum posters would have to surrender their real names in order to be part of the community. Needless to say, gamers hated it, and Blizzard did an impressively quick U-turn on the issue.
Now the developer is spinning the whole situation into a positive win, claiming that its “process” of fan feedback worked.
“We weren’t surprised to get feedback,” says VP Michael Ryder. “That’s something that’s part of our culture. We know we’re fortunate to have a lot of passionate players that care about what we do. So we always go out to the players and give them a heads up on what we’re thinking about doing, and we look for their feedback. In this case we got feedback.
“So, all in all, the process worked. We put the word out. We got the feedback. We reconsidered. We made a change. We appreciate the fact that we have such passionate fans. It reinforces the notion that we’re privileged to have those players that care and give us feedback.”
That is some seriously skillful spin on the part of Ryder, it has to be said. Turning the Real ID situation into something that makes Blizzard look good? That deserves a golf clap right there.
Blizzard on Real ID: “The process worked”[Eurogamer]
