World of Warcraft: Forever Faces Gold Buying Controversy Before Launch

I’ve been diving into the World of Warcraft: Foreverbeta, but I’m keeping my expectations in check. With the official launch set for November 4, my character will be wiped clean, taking with her any cool loot or gold I’ve managed to gather. I can see why some dedicated players might get attached to their beta characters; every playthrough offers a unique adventure, even if they end up recreating the same class.

What I can’t wrap my head around is why anyone would risk breaking WoW’s terms of service to buy in-game gold with real cash during a beta phase, especially for a character that will vanish soon. And to do it while streaming to hundreds of viewers? That’s just baffling.

Yet, this has become the hot topic in the WoW: Forever community. Players are actually exchanging real money for large amounts of gold in the beta. This practice is not only strange but also foolish, and Blizzard has made it clear they are taking action against it:

Real money transactions (RMT) are strictly prohibited in World of Warcraft, and we are actively addressing RMT in the WoW: Forever Beta, as well as when the game officially launches and beyond.

While we have always acted swiftly against RMT sellers, we will increasingly target buyers as well. This means we will remove illicit gold from recipients and may take further actions, including account closures.

We urge all players to be cautious about accepting gifts from strangers or engaging in one-sided transactions. If it becomes clear that a recipient knew or should have known that the gold was illegitimate, they may face account penalties too.

Adding to the community’s frustration is a well-known WoW streamer who has found himself in hot water—not for buying gold himself, but for receiving large amounts from viewers that appear to have been purchased with real money. While he may not be spending money directly, he’s certainly benefiting from these transactions, likely aware of their origins.

The streamer in question is Ziqoftw (Ziqo), who has acknowledged receiving around 520 gold from viewers in several transactions. This is a significant amount in WoW: Forever, especially since the beta has only been live for a few weeks and the economy is vastly different from retail WoW, where players often deal in hundreds of thousands of gold. It’s unlikely that low-level characters in a fresh beta would be handing out such large sums.

Ziqo hasn’t been banned, but he did face consequences. The gold on the character that received these large sums was nearly wiped clean, leaving just a few silver, while his other characters remained unaffected. You might wonder if Ziqo was unaware that the gold was bought. However, many argue that he’s not a novice; he understands WoW’s economy and should recognize the red flags of such a large influx of gold.

The most charitable interpretation is that Ziqo acted incredibly naively, but it’s more plausible that he was fully aware and willingly benefited from his viewers purchasing gold for him, whether or not he directly solicited it. Worst-case scenario, he could have bought the gold himself, though there’s no evidence to support that. Regardless, his actions aren’t helping his case, especially with clips like one where he mocks the idea of scrutinizing suspicious transactions by pretending to evaluate the legitimacy of a trade involving a glass of milk. If Ziqo was aware of what he was doing, he wouldn’t be the only streamer encouraging viewers to buy gold for him; another streamer, Payo, recently stated, “I never buy gold. Ever. I told my chat to do it for me.”

This situation has led many in the WoW community to call for stricter penalties not just for gold sellers and buyers, but also for streamers who engage in these practices, soliciting donations from their viewers and leveraging their fame for personal gain. Ziqo has frequently collaborated with Blizzard on official events, which has led to speculation that he hasn’t faced harsher repercussions. The WoW subreddits are buzzing with posts expressing frustration that the developer seems to be backtracking on its commitment to combat this economy-damaging behavior.

Now, it’s up to Blizzard to clarify its stance and reassure players that RMTs will be taken seriously once WoW: Forever launches, or to take further action against Ziqo, Payo, and any other prominent figures profiting from RMTs. We’ve reached out to Blizzard for a statement and will provide updates if we receive a response.