Blizzard sues Project Ascension as World of Warcraft private-server crackdown expands

Blizzard Entertainment filed a lawsuit in California court on June 12 against the makers of Project Ascension. Aftermath, which obtained the complaint, reports that Blizzard alleges copyright infringement, DMCA violations, false designation of origin, interference with contractual relations, and other claims.

Project Ascension is a private World of Warcraft server built around classless character progression. Instead of choosing a standard WoW class, players combine abilities from different classes. Blizzard’s complaint says the project claims more than one million players and has made money through Donation Points used for in-game purchases such as cosmetics and experience boosts.

The practical player-facing issue is access. Blizzard says the Ascension Client lets players connect without Blizzard’s official servers or a World of Warcraft subscription, and alleges the developers bypassed security protections to make that work. The complaint also discusses hosting, payment structures, named defendants, and efforts to identify additional people involved with the project.

The lawsuit follows Blizzard’s earlier action against Turtle WoW. In that case, Blizzard received a permanent injunction, and the server shut down after May 15. The r/pcgaming discussion split between players who see private servers as preservation or alternate rule sets, and others who point to paid currency and distribution of WoW software as the legal fault line. Project Ascension’s court response has not yet been established in the record.

Source: r/pcgaming, Aftermath