"These people are just delusional": Blizzard says World of Warcraft players can keep selling services for in-game currency unless their business is "non-traditional," and GDKP raiders are furious

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"These people are just delusional": Blizzard says World of Warcraft players can keep selling services for in-game currency unless their business is "non-traditional," and GDKP raiders are furious News By Ashley Bardhan published 28 January 2026

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World of Warcraft developer Blizzard has issued a moratorium on its Anniversary realms' gig economies. It'll continue to ban GDKP raids, in which players bid gold on loot and split the subsequent pot of gold among each other, and other business ventures it deems "non-traditional." But WoW Classic entrepreneurs are furious. Do you know the cost of a mount these days?

The comments section for a January 27 post on the Blizzard forums is hot with frustration now that community manager Linxy has explained Blizzard's current stance on "in-game advertising, in part to bring our policies regarding non-traditional services (including 'boosting') in Anniversary realms in line with other versions of WoW."

According to Linxy, "organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold, are prohibited." Those who try to outsmart Blizzard could face warnings, suspensions, or even permanent bans. That said, both players and guilds are free to use "provided in-game tools (such as the Services chat channel) to buy or sell in-game services for in-game currency," Linxy adds.

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(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

"However, 'boosting communities,' especially those who operate across multiple realms, are not permitted," the manager concludes.

Well, that sounds definitive. But WoW Classic players are nowhere near satisfied.

"Nearly as out of touch with reality as is possible," reacts one commenter.

"Not to mention the ban simply doesn't work," quips another. "These people are just delusional."

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"Give us back GDKP or people will quit!" threatens another player. But Blizzard doesn't seem convinced.

Blizzard isn't "walking back" plans to remove World of Warcraft combat and UI mods: "Our goal was never to stamp out the addon ecosystem."

TOPICS Blizzard Entertainment CATEGORIES PC Gaming Platforms Ashley BardhanSenior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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