Blizzard orders popular WoW private server Nostalrius to shut down.
World of Warcraft is one of the most influential games in history, with a large and loyal fanbase across the world. Unfortunately, not all fans agree with the way Blizzard Entertainment chose to evolve the game over its ten-year lifespan. This has led to certain individuals pirating the game and hosting their own illegal private servers. One of the largest of these servers, Nostalrius, received a letter from Blizzard Entertainment on Tuesday, April 5, indicating that the company would be taking legal action against them. This has prompted the full and permanent shutdown of the server and all its assets.
While some private WoW servers are created to illegally circumvent the game’s $15 subscription fee, Nostalrius only sought to recreate the original iteration of the game, which no longer exists after six expansions worth of overhauls to the game’s design and mechanics. Nostalrius had over 800,000 registered users, at least 150,000 of whom were active. According to a Reddit AMA  by the Nostalrius team, they made no profits from the server and went to great lengths to discourage and deny all donations. The server’s owner claims it cost anywhere from $500 to $1000 a month to run the servers.
The shutdown has prompted a huge community outcry for Blizzard to change its policies to allow a sanctioned way to experience the original iteration of the game. Many significant figures in the WoW community have spoken of the movement, including the YouTube vlogger Asmongold and the machinima maker Nixxiom.
You can check out the Nostalrius team’s online petition to change Blizzard’s policy here.
God of War 4 concept art has been leaked by Nerdleaks.
Since the conclusion of the third God of War game, many fans were wondering what the unstoppable killing machine known as Kratos would do next. After slaughtering the entirety of the Greek mythology, many theorized he would move on to the lands of another ancient religion and kill their deities as well. Thanks to the website Nerdleaks.com, it looks like we might find out what the angry Spartan has been up to sooner than later.
On April 4, Nerdleaks published a set of images that are allegedly from the unannounced God of War 4 before going completely dark on all platforms. The images depict lush forests and what seem to be pieces of Norse inspired architecture, as well as the series protagonist sporting a stylish new beard. The Nerdleaks team also released some cryptic Tweets that referenced Norse mythology before their sudden unexplained withdrawal.
A new God of War title was expected to be announced at this year’s E3 conference by Sony. The company has yet to address the leak with any official response.