"World of Warcraft" (Photo : Reuters)
"World of Warcraft" players who are cheating by using third-party programs that automate gameplay called bots will be banned from playing the video game.
According to a recent announcement by Blizzard Entertainment, the company has taken action against numerous "World of Warcraft" accounts that were detected to be using bots.
Devoted to providing "an equal and fair playing field" for all "World of Warcraft" players, the company gave a warning that cheating of any form shall not be tolerated and they will continue to take action against players who violate Terms of Use.
"Botting is defined as automation of any action, not just character movement. If a program is pressing keys for you, you've violated the ToU," "World of Warcraft" community manager Micah Whipple tweeted.
The company went on to tell "World of Warcraft" players that they may report players abusing a bot, exploit or cheat by either sending an e-mail to hacks@blizzard.com or using the right-clock report functionality in the video game.
There are an estimated 7.1 million active "World of Warcraft" subscribers and according to a screenshot from a user's chat with a game master, over 100,000 accounts were banned for six months.
Meanwhile, a "World of Warcraft" film is set to hit theaters on March 11, 2016. Directed by Duncan Jones, the film stars Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar.
In an interview with Crave Online in April, Fimmel revealed he was not aware of the "World of Warcraft" phenomenon before the Anduin Lothar role was given to him.
"It's amazing how many people play the game," Fimmel said. "I saw all the visuals. The movie is so close to 'Warcraft.'"
