#4 - June 24, 2010, 6:10 p.m.
1.
Is it possible, in any way, to change the name associated with an account? Yes, but only under certain circumstances. We are happy to help players update their contact information in the event of a legal name change; this includes name changes that are the result of a marriage. Additionally, if a parent is transitioning ownership of account to a child that is now of legal age, we will be happy to assist.
In both circumstances, though, proof of identification will be required.
1a. To something other than your legal name.
No.
1b. To something similar to, but subtly different from, your legal name.
No.
1c. To your legal name, if it was originally some kind of alias.
Yes. This, too, will require proof of identification.
2.
I'm told you need to prove identity to reclaim a hijacked account. Does this mean an account which doesn't use your legal name is permanently lost? In some cases, if the registered name on an account is fake, it may be extremely difficult to recover access following an account compromise. I won't say that recovery is impossible, because we will do all that we can to assist our players; however, you would be doing yourself a very notable disservice by registering a name that is not your own to an account on which you play (if you are not a minor).
3.
I have, for historical reasons, birth certificates with two different names, and some of my bank accounts and credit cards are in a plausible third variant. Am I going to be in trouble here if my documentation matches a different name than I used for the account (which I'm pretty sure it does)? Provided that the name registered on your account matches
a government-issued ID in your possession, you're good to use that name. We will be unable to use credit cards and bank statements to verify ownership of an account, however.
4.
No one actually uses my legal name to talk to me unless they're with the government. If I wanted to use Real ID, is there any way I could show up in game by the name that all my friends know? There are people I've been friends with for years who probably wouldn't recognize my legal name if they saw it. I just don't use it. At this time, Real ID will display the full name registered to the Battle.net account. There is not currently a way to modify this name or use an alias.
If you believe such an option should be made available through Real ID, though, please let us know by posting in the Suggestions forum. We're monitoring player feedback, and would love to hear from you!
As sort of a final note: When the Battle.net and
World of Warcraft Terms of Use are agreed to, a contract develops between Blizzard Entertainment and the person who's name is on the account. It is that person, that name, who will be held responsible, and is it that person who will be recognized as a legal representative. This is why we ask that accurate information be provided at account creation, and why we insist that an account not be shared beyond guardian-minor relationships (as a guardian can legally represent a minor, if needed). I can understand your concern, though, Keeshtenahe, and I hope you're able to work with to find a suitable solution!
