New NetEase Event Rewards Reporting ToS Breaking Behavior and Misconduct
In a renewed effort to combat cheating with the return of WoW in China, NetEase is running a special event throughout the month of July, awarding Battle.net Balance to players who report activity that is against the terms of service, with a further ¥100,000 (roughly $14,000 USD) for reports that lead to legal action!
Paladins enforce justice, apparently.
Currently, this only affects Classic, which has relaunched starting with an accelerated Wrath of the Lich King, though if the program proves successful, it could be extended to modern WoW once The War Within pre-patch launches in China on August 1st.
The real question is how much it is intended to cut down on services offered by bigger professional boost and sale organizations like major race guilds, and how much is simply culling the competition — RMT sales, boosts, and carries are rampant in China, well beyond what's seen in the west, which threatens to compete with official services sold by NetEase and managing sub-studio Lei Huo. The in-game shop previously offered «enhanced» boosting services with higher item level gear, and some players speculate whether this is paving the way to double down on their more «official» sales, with a preview of the new retail in-game shop expected to be revealed by the end of the month.
Currently, Battle.net Balance can only be used on special bundles and services, though a major update is expected by the end of the month.
A weekly leaderboard based on the number of unique actionable reports has been published, and the top 100 reporting players at the end of the month will be awarded Battle.net Balance based on their ranking:
- Top Reporter: 1,288 Battle.net Balance
- 2nd Highest: 988 Battle.net Balance
- Third: 688 Battle.net Balance
- 4th to 10th: 375 Battle.net Balance
- 11th to 20th: 225 Battle.net Balance
- 21st to 100th: 75 Battle.net Balance
Additionally, a special bounty of up to ¥100,000 (roughly $14,000 USD) has been pledged for any reports that lead to legal action
