Please link statutes with examples of things they’ve done illegally. It’s easy to claim that in a few sentences… not saying you are wrong, since no one really knows any of the facts yet and Blizzard has not made any statements. But if you have the juicy stuff. Let’s link some evidence vs statutes.
It seems inevitable there will be at least one suit. On paper, seems like a decent case, but by no means a slam dunk. I would fully expect Blizz to use some garbo argument like “the development of the game is on going, due to time constraints some features weren’t available at launch but THEY WILL BE SOON, blah blah things change in developement, blah blah GAMES AS A SERVICE”.
In other words, they will claim that its not false advertising because they are continually updating and upgrading the product after launch for no additional cost and that eventually the consumer will get what they paid for.
In the US, yes it’s legal, the US has zero consumer protections. In Australia it is DEFINITELY illegal and they are going to get massively fined there if they don’t offer refunds immediately.
If that’s the case (which I heard it was and saw some articles) they will get their refunds. That being said, even if you aren’t Australian and dislike the game, you should be entitled to a refund… unless you beat the entire game and are like “Kay , I am done, refund”… that’d be like ordering food, eating it, then saying it tasted bad and want a refund.
Hopefully we will hear more from Blizzard regardless of what happens in the near future.
that is just moronic
Look thru this thread for a start
Thanks for posting let me check it out and I’ll get back to you in a bit.
The price is largely irrelevant for me now. I pre-ordered the day I learned about it back in 2018…
Deald, so I looked over it and I can tell you that this won’t hold any ground.
For a few reasons:
Blizzard will say the following:
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This was during Blizzcon and the game was still in development. Meaning things are subject to change.
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After the Blizzcon 2018, a big fanbase were unhappy with Christie Golden being brought in to remesh the story to fit a better WC3/WoW connection.
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This wasn’t used as an advertisement to sell the product, but instead for fans to try it out. Streamers showed it off to the community and may have said things that were not accurate and in turn were conceived to be from Blizzard themselves. In fact, it was said that the opening cinematic would be remade (completely from scratch) while the rest would be “reforged” i.e. playable in 4K.
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The reason for #2 & 3 is because of reports by Polygon, Blizzardwatch, and a few other reporting agencies that said fans do NOT want any change to the current game. They simply wanted the graphic overhaul.
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Fans did not want new voices or changes to the story whatsoever. The new cinematics were going to be used to tie WC3 and WOW as mentioned above. Obviously this would be scrapped.
There’s a lot of moving parts right now and Blizzard has not made any PR announcements. Let’s be patient and wait for that. They are giving refunds right now… everyone I know who asked for one got one.
I am not defending anyone. I am just being realistic. A class action would take years anyhow and to be honest I have been on BETA for a while and followed WC3 since it was announced… they’ve been pretty transparent imo which of course isn’t shared by others.
That will play a role for a class action because many other people are content with the product. If people think they really have a case… go forward with it. There’s too many sources on google that will strike down a class action though.
Thats a point of contention. IIRC, preorders were already available at that time, so yes it very much was an advertisement.
Besides, you failed to address some of the bigger concerns such as the “breaking” of classic WC3, multiplayer issues, the claiming of copy right over any community created custom games (DOTA salt much?), the banning of people seeking refunds, etc.
There are core features that WERE promised that are clearly not in the game. The question for the courts will be, does “games as a service” mean companies have an indefinite amount of time to deliver on what was promised, or must they be available on launch day.
Thats a point of contention. IIRC, preorders were already available at that time, so yes it very much was an advertisement.
Yes, definitely a point of contention, but yet the Stratholme video was during Blizzcon, where it was clearly said the game can be changed at any point. You know this and so does anyone who beta tests or even looks sneakpeek’s of games… hell, look at Anthem and they don’t have a class action, yet that was massively bad.
Besides, you failed to address some of the bigger concerns such as the “breaking” of classic WC3, multiplayer issues, the claiming of copy right over any community created custom games (DOTA salt much?), the banning of people seeking refunds, etc."
I did not mention those concerns because they were not brought up on this particular thread, but I am aware of them. Yes, they do suck. We don’t know however if Blizzard plans to separate the WC3:R and WC3 Classic platforms so users are not forced to DL 30GB of space. We also do not know if they’ll fix or bring back anything that was purged. We need to be patient and wait for them to say something rather than jump on a lawsuit bangwagon for one reason alone: You file the paperwork for the class action and somewhere along the lines, they fix all the issues and not only did you pay 30-40 dollars for a game, you paid an attorney a few grand for no reason.
There are core features that WERE promised that are clearly not in the game. The question for the courts will be, does “games as a service” mean companies have an indefinite amount of time to deliver on what was promised, or must they be available on launch day.
Which core features are these? I am not challenging you, I am legitimately asking you. I know the “new” cinematics was in error due to misinformation as only the intro cinematic was to be redone and the rest simply updated for 4K quality.
Look forward to exchange thoughts!
And what would they say about the removal of LAN? They are forcing RoC & TFT users into the new client. The new client does not support LAN.
Hey Eloba! Hopefully they’ll say “We’re bringing it back”?
Let’s wait and see… if not then we can all raise our concerns. Let’s look at games like FFXIV and BF2 that had a lot of changes which the community did not like and turned into a PR nightmare… those games are pretty great now and the fans got what they wanted.
To be honest I don’t think adding LAN would be that difficult anyway, but I do agree with you that they should bring it back.
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The point is, people could make purchases of this product based on that video, therefore its an ad. Weather or not that loldisclaimer at the bottom holds up is a question for a judge. Regardless, I think it would be pretty easy to claim it was an ad.
Someone correct me if Im wrong, but aren’t people having to go thru EXTRAORDINARY lengths just to keep the classic version of WC3? And of course that fails to address the functionality of multiplayer game modes available for classic WC3. I think its pretty much a fact that Blizz broke core mechanics of a product that was previously working as intended. Even if they attempt some migration of the two games, they will have to reinstate the mechanics they broke.
LOL
No, anything they have to say should have been said before the game “launched.” They knew the issues, they chose silence. They knew it was lacking core features, launched anyway. They knew they were breaking classic, launched anyway. This apologist mindset it exactly what they take advantage of time and again.
And the “paid an attorney a few grand” bit? Not a thing in this situation. The attorneys would almost certainly be paid with a portion of the settlement.
Im not sure what the entire list is at this point, the biggest offenders I’ve seen are multiplayer related such as ladders and what not.
No. If we ever want quality products from the giant corporations, we have to stop accepting these pathetically low standards of quality they constantly dish out. Not to sound too much like Jim Sterling or anything, but “tRiPle AaA!!!11”
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Hey Daeld,
So I want to be 100% accurate in everything I reply with. But I want to let you know that I dealt with a civil lawsuit against a company called “Hudson Hyundai” where the falsely advertised their product on T.V. It was STILL VERY hard to prove it even though it was right there on television.
So knowing all that, it is why I am very skeptical about a class action even being taken seriously.
So that being said:
The point is, people could make purchases of this product based on that video, therefore its an ad. Weather or not that loldisclaimer at the bottom holds up is a question for a judge. Regardless, I think it would be pretty easy to claim it was an ad.
That is not a legitimate ad since it was not played by Blizzard, instead it was played by Streamers who were demoing (not a finished product and subject to change) during Blizzcon. So it cannot be taken as an advertise… it just can’t.
Someone correct me if Im wrong, but aren’t people having to go thru EXTRAORDINARY lengths just to keep the classic version of WC3? And of course that fails to address the functionality of multiplayer game modes available for classic WC3. I think its pretty much a fact that Blizz broke core mechanics of a product that was previously working as intended. Even if they attempt some migration of the two games, they will have to reinstate the mechanics they broke.
Yes some core mechanics are bugged/broken. They may fix it like they’ve done with other issues in the past. This requires time. We aren’t even at a 72 hour mark since the release. I am almost certain they will have a PR statement in the coming weeks because this is a PR nightmare for them. I can’t give you specifics because I am not a developer =( I just hope these things are fixed or re-implemented since some players hold it dear.
LOL
No, anything they have to say should have been said before the game “launched.” They knew the issues, they chose silence. They knew it was lacking core features, launched anyway. They knew they were breaking classic, launched anyway. This apologist mindset it exactly what they take advantage of time and again.
And the “paid an attorney a few grand” bit? Not a thing in this situation. The attorneys would almost certainly be paid with a portion of the settlement.
If this argument goes in front of a judge he will dismiss you right away. You do not know what happened in house and neither do I. We can’t make this sort of argument and try and pass it as “facts”. We’re genuinely worried and want the best for a product we love. Let’s hope it gets fixed, and you know what? If it doesn’t, I’ll be right there next to you shoulder to shoulder damning them.
As for the attorney bit… maybe people should find an attorney willing to do it before saying “Yeah we can do it and they’ll take a portion!” trust me, it’s easier said than done. Attorney’s want to be 100% sure with solid evidence before representing anyone. There’s too many moving parts here and too much misinformation from both the community and Blizzard that need to be squared away.
Im not sure what the entire list is at this point, the biggest offenders I’ve seen are multiplayer related such as ladders and what not.
Getting a list and putting it together, with a timeline might be a good idea before speaking of class actions if you want anyone to take it seriously.
So long as they provide you a refund, there is no legal recourse. You can argue a refund, if they deny, argue more and they will oblige. You just have to push a little, kill em with kindness.
Also give them ‘I’m afraid I must insist on my demand, accordingly to COUNTRY consumer laws. I can ask for refund for a defective product, especially when it includes misleading promotional material.’
I’m nearly certain Blizz streamed it themselves on their own stream, and on their own Twitch channel.
Time on which side tho? Before or AFTER the purchase is made? Thats a decision for the courts.
Don’t see how this matters. If the product wasn’t finished, Blizz should have delayed the launch. They sold an incomplete product, its their fault it was incomplete, and they could have delayed the launch at any time.
Having a strong case, proving a case, and convincing other people you actually proved your case and not the other side are all very different things. IMO, there seems like more than enough of a case to at least force Blizz to the bargaining table. But I didn’t preorder, I waited. I don’t have time to dump into MMOs like I used to, so Ive been playing more and more non-persistent games and even single player games. This was certainly something on my radar. Given the sentiment of the players, the lack of communication from Blizz etc., I made a good choice in holding off.
I have no personal interest in any suit against Blizz, but that doesn’t mean I don’t or shouldn’t care about the state of the games industry. Launches like this are practically commonplace anymore, and IMO its unacceptable. I am not an attorney, but I was in law school and have dealt with suits and contracts throughout my professional career. I think there is certainly something here worth pursuing for those that want to.
I’d be willing to bet that multiple have already been made. This is too big of a story.
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Tell that to the people getting bans for asking for refunds and trying to help others get refunds. LOADS of reports of Blizz actively trying to prevent people from being able to refund at all.
With the amount of legal power behind them, I doubt a class action lawsuit would hold. They can twist meaning of words to make it seem like they fulfilled every advertised promise, because in one way or another they did. And even promotional material not matching final product is common place and not very legally sound.
Look up Nintendo MLB lawsuit. Courts tossed it out the window with no appeal.
What Eu? There is not going to be eu soon. Screw eu.