Blizzard Entertainment files lawsuit against owners of the fan-developed Turtle WoW servers — citing illegal use of official art, code, and more

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Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, have filed a lawsuit against the operators of Turtle WoW. This service hosts a collection of fan-made modifications and updates, including Mysteries of Azeroth – an expansion story for the original version of World of Warcraft that delves deeper into its original lore, avoiding the changes made by Blizzard through The Burning Crusade expansion in 2007.

Players can access Mysteries of Azeroth via a free download, with the developers accepting but not requiring donations. In the lawsuit, filed in California’s Central District on Friday, Blizzard Entertainment claims that Turtle WoW developers are using Blizzard’s artwork, trademarks, and official code.

A representative from Blizzard shared this statement: “We value the decades of innovation and creativity we’ve put into our games, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the integrity of that work for our employees, partners, and players. This unauthorized server uses our code, assets, and trademarks to market an unauthorized experience. Given the scope and nature of the infringement, we must pursue formal remedies to safeguard the universe we’ve created.

Considering the magnitude and type of violation, it’s necessary for us to seek formal solutions to safeguard the environment we’ve established.

A Blizzard spokesperson

Turtle WoW, initially launched in 2018, has seen growth with additional servers rolled out over time to cater to a larger player base in various regions. Just recently, Turtle WoW hit a record of more than 44,000 concurrent players on all servers in August.

The creators behind Turtle WoW have introduced multiple updates for the Mysteries of Azeroth expansion and have hinted at plans to release an updated game version that rebuilds the client using Unreal Engine 5. This upcoming update, known as Turtle WoW 2.0, aims to offer enhanced graphics and increased PC demands while still offering a Legacy version for those who prefer the original aesthetic.

In 2019, I witnessed Blizzard Entertainment introducing the authentic version of the classic World of Warcraft, known as World of Warcraft: Classic. Since then, they’ve been faithfully adding the original expansions, including The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, and more recently, Mists of Pandaria. It’s important to note that, much like its mainline counterpart, World of Warcraft: Classic necessitates an active subscription for access.

World of Warcraft’s next official chapter is coming in 2026

As we move forward, the primary plotline in World of Warcraft is progressing towards its next chapter, marked by the upcoming expansion titled “World of Warcraft: Midnight.” This expansion builds upon the Worldsoul Saga that started with 2024’s release, The War Within. The narrative concludes with a third expansion, The Last Titan.

World of Warcraft: Midnight does not yet have a firm release date but is anticipated to debut prior to June 30, 2026. During Gamescom 2025, Blizzard revealed insights into what players can anticipate from the expansion, including a new race called the Haranir and the long-awaited Player Housing feature, allowing adventurers to customize their homes in Azeroth.

Meanwhile, within Blizzard news, teams at Microsoft-owned game developer Blizzard are increasingly unionizing. Over 450 workers on the Diablo franchise have recently formed a union, citing recurring layoffs at Microsoft as one of the reasons for their organization efforts.

This latest move follows in the footsteps of several other Blizzard teams, including the World of Warcraft and Overwatch 2 development teams, as well as the Story and Franchise team, which works on narratives and cinematics for various Blizzard games.

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2025-08-30 18:09