After Blizzard's PR nightmare last week concerning the Real ID issue, the team has come up with a community FAQ to answer questions about the most common issues. With Starcraft II just around the corner and the first implementation of the Real ID system, the FAQ comes at just the right time.
Q: Are there any plans to change the in-game Real ID system so that players will have the option to display an assigned user name instead of their real names?
A: The Real ID system is designed to help real-life friends and family who decide to use it keep in touch with each other across Blizzard games, and our goal in using real names is to ensure that players will be able to maintain long-term, meaningful relationships on the service for years to come. One way it helps make that happen is by eliminating the need to remember who, for example, "Thrall123" really is when you see him or her pop up on your friends list again after months -- or years -- of being offline. Ultimately, we think this is the best way to ensure players who use Real ID are able stay connected with the people they enjoy playing with most in the long-term, and we don’t currently have any plans to change the system so it can be used with character names or alternate handles instead. That said, Battle.net is a living, breathing service that we will continue to evolve over time as we evaluate how players are using it and identify new ways to improve the experience.
There are several more questions/answers on the official forums so it's worth stopping by to check them out and add your thoughts to the thread.
Does the FAQ help? Make any difference at all? Worry you more? Let us know!
