Earlier this week, Blizzard announced that they would update their forums so that users' real names would be attached to every post. An avalanche of complaints later, they've decided against the change.

"We've been constantly monitoring the feedback you've given us, as well as internally discussing your concerns about the use of real names on our forums. As a result of those discussions, we've decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums," said Blizzard CEO and Founder Mike Morhaime in a note to gamers.

Added Morhaime: "We will still move forward with new forum features such as the ability to rate posts up or down, post highlighting based on rating, improved search functionality, and more. However, when we launch the new StarCraft II forums that include these new features, you will be posting by your StarCraft II Battle.net character name + character code, not your real name. The upgraded World of Warcraft forums with these new features will launch close to the release of Cataclysm, and also will not require your real name."

Blizzard thought that displaying real names on forum posts would lead to more constructive discussions. Still, many players believed that this was a violation of privacy and may result in real-world harassment. No need to theorize any further, though.