Blizzard Files Lawsuit Against Turtle WoW Over Private World of Warcraft Servers

Blizzard Sues Turtle WoW Over Unauthorized Private Servers

Blizzard Entertainment has officially filed a lawsuit against Turtle WoW, a fan-run World of Warcraft server project, accusing it of large-scale copyright and trademark infringement. The complaint was submitted on August 29 to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Blizzard’s Allegations

According to the filing, Turtle WoW has been operating servers built on unauthorized use of Blizzard’s code, assets, and intellectual property. The company argues that these servers damage the official World of Warcraft community by:

Splitting the player base,

Creating brand confusion among fans, and

Introducing potential security risks.

Blizzard emphasized that it has invested “enormous amounts of time and money” in developing and maintaining World of Warcraft. The studio claims Turtle WoW has built “an entire business on ongoing and egregious infringement.”

What is Turtle WoW?

Launched in 2018, Turtle WoW offers players free access to unofficial versions of the MMORPG, sustained by voluntary donations. The servers even host custom expansions such as Mysteries of Azeroth, exploring new storylines beyond Blizzard’s official lore.

Recently, the group promoted Turtle WoW 2.0, a project aiming to rebuild the original “Vanilla WoW” experience using Unreal Engine 5, sparking even more attention from the fan community.

Claims of Profit and Escalation

Blizzard alleges that Turtle WoW not only distributes pirated copies of World of Warcraft but also profits by offering paid access to emulated servers, bundled with the tools required to run them. The company further stated that Turtle WoW has “escalated its infringement” by aggressively marketing its servers through social media campaigns, influencer collaborations, and promotional events.

Blizzard’s Response

In a statement to PCGamesN, a Blizzard spokesperson said:

> “Our games are built on decades of innovation and creativity. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the integrity of that work—for our employees, our partners, and our players.”