Blizzard Entertainment Hit With Class Action Lawsuit by Battle.net Accountholders Over Security Measures

Blizzard Entertainment, maker of blockbuster games World of Warcraft, Diablo III, and Starcraft, is facing a class action brought by its own gamers. In a lawsuit filed in November 2012, Battle.net account holders accuse Blizzard of negligently failing to protect their personal information, which has been the target of several security breaches.

The suit follows recent security breaches that occurred in May and August 2012 which prompted Blizzard to require  its players to purchase an ”Authenticator”  “ to
protect their personal and financial data instead of providing better online security measures itself.  The Authenticator can be bought on Blizzard’s website for $6.50 and generates codes that players must enter before being allowed to log in to their account on Battle.net.  The complaint alleges that these Authenticators have brought in over $26 million for Blizzard thus far.  The plaintiffs are seeking damages for “tacking on additional, undisclosed costs to ensure security in the form of a post-point-of-sale Authenticator.”

The class action also alleges that Blizzard was using deceptive trade practices.  Blizzard requires all of its players to create a Battle.net account, regardless of whether they wish to play a game online.  As one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys pointed out, “Blizzard requires all of its customers to establish accounts with its online gaming service, Battle.net, but it fails to disclose to consumers, prior to purchase, that they’ll need additional products called Authenticators to keep information stored in these accounts safe.”  For these reasons, Plaintiffs have also asked for a court order to prevent Blizzard from requiring players to create Battle.net accounts for offline games.

If you have been the victim of a company’s deceptive trade practices, contact Khorrami, LLP for a confidential consultation.

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