On September 28, Kaivax reminded players of the RMT rules in World of Warcraft: Forever: trading real money for gold is a violation, and the team openly warned for the first time that it will increasingly punish buyers, not just sellers.

What happened

On September 28, community manager Kaivax posted a blue post to remind everyone: real money transactions (RMT, trading in-game goods for real money) are not allowed in World of Warcraft, and Forever is no exception. Blizzard is already stepping up its work against RMT during the beta and will continue to do so after launch.

Previously, the main blow landed on sellers: their accounts were banned as quickly as possible. Now the focus is shifting — buyers will also face sanctions.

What a buyer risks: the "dirty" gold will be removed from the recipient's balance, and/or further measures up to and including account closure.

A separate note goes to "gifts" from strangers and one-sided deals. Blizzard states outright: if the recipient knew, or should have known, that the gold came from an illegitimate source, sanctions may apply to them as well.

This is not a one-time crackdown tied to launch: the team will keep working on RMT after launch as well.