Blizzard Entertainment, publisher of "World of Warcraft," recently ban at least 100,000 accounts after the company found out that those user accounts were using bots to cheat the game.
"World of Warcraft" has an estimated 7.1 million active accounts and the recent ban represents around one percent of the game's total user base. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game was released in 2004 and at one point reached a record 10 million subscribers.
According to PC Gamer, the ban imposed by Blizzard is not permanent and will be lifted after six months. The reason behind the ban was the use of a botting program called Honorbuddy. The bot program can perform many in-game tasks without the need for player control. Among the tasks the bot program can perform include crafting, archeology digs and can even autopilot through dangerous dungeons and battlegrounds where human players finds extreme difficulty in navigating.
Bossland, the creator and developer of Honorbuddy, claims that around 200,000 active "World of Warcraft" accounts have used its program. Players pay a lifetime membership fee of only $28.55 in order to use the bot.
The recent ban from "World of Warcraft" has caused a serious blow into Honorbuddy's user base and Bossland has already ceded to Blizzard. Days after the ban was imposed, the Honorbuddy Authentication service was finally closed, according to Kotaku.
Blizzard has been very vigilant in terms of regulating the use of bots and other programs that automate character actions.
Blizzard posted on Twitter saying, "Botting is defined as automation of any action, not just character movement. If a program is pressing key for you, you've violated the ToU."