Revolution Pays

We will still move forward with new forum features such as the ability to rate posts up or down, post highlighting based on rating, improved search functionality, and more. However, when we launch the new StarCraft II forums that include these new features, you will be posting by your StarCraft II Battle.net character name + character code, not your real name. The upgraded World of Warcraft forums with these new features will launch close to the release of Cataclysm, and also will not require your real name.
Mike Morhaim CEO Blizzard Entertainment

This announcement is good news.  It shows that we, the people, still have power to influence.

The quick pullback on this odious policy indicates to me that the protest cancellations were large enough to make an impact.

But I think the true reason that broke this camel's back was that Blizzard faced a true "Let them eat Cake" disaster.

On a protest blog, a number of Blizzard employee information was culled by using their real names.  Not only that, the information for extended family was revealed as well.

The wife of one Blizzard Exec was documented to have complained on her Facebook about her lack of money to pay for a personal trainer for more than 4 days.

Considering that we are in the thick of a depression, that World of Warcraft is financed by people in dire straits (most likely the one luxury still open to them like the movies were in the 30's), this kind of entitled behavior did not look good.  There was just no way to combat that kind of bad press.

However, the ideas behind this policy are still enthralling the tech elites.  And its just a test shot in a coming war over our rights online.  We will have more battles to face in the future.