Blizzard shuts down another private WoW Classic server, TurtleWoW and Stormforge to shut down in May

Blizzard has sent cease and desists to another private World of Warcraft Classic server as the studio takes aim at unsanctioned alternatives that impact its official player counts.

The games industry is under intense pressure right now and studios are squeezing operations as tightly as possible in an effort to stabilize against rising costs. This also means some aspects of competition are being shut down wherever possible, including unsanctioned mods and private servers that act as alternatives to official paid experiences.

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That's what's happening on the World of Warcraft front, as Blizzard has now sent out cease and desists against two major private servers. Blizzard first took on the TurtleWoW private servers, suing the group for "egregious copyright infringement" and calling TurtleWoW a "pirated software product." It's since been revealed that TurtleWoW will end operations and shut down on May 14, 2026 as a result of the lawsuit.

Now Blizzard is also taking aim at Stormforge, which is also a private WoW Classic server. Stormforge wasn't taken to court but it will nevertheless shut down on the same day as TurtleWoW, following a C&D from Blizzard.

The creators of Stormforge might make their own game at some point:

"While this chapter is coming to an end, it's not necessarily the end of everything we do. We won't be involved in operating private servers to Activision or Blizzard games going forward. We want to channel our passion and dedication into other creative endeavors--this time focused on our own ideas. We are excited for what is to come and we hope to see you, and many other familiar faces again in the future."

The news comes at a time when Blizzard, and the entire games industry, is being stressed to deliver higher profits. That means tightening up control over IP rights and reducing competition while shutting down unauthorized--and often monetized--fan creations.

We've seen similar things happen in the EverQuest realm, where the popular The Heroes' Journey mod was forced offline following a lawsuit against the creators. It was revealed that THJ was making $100,000 per month and was a "highly profitable" venture for the creators, who did not have permission from the rights holders at Daybreak Studios to monetize the mod. Daybreak sued THJ and forced the mod offline while recouping donations made to THJ.

Since that lawsuit unfolded, Daybreak has announced its own officially sanctioned classic version, EverQuest Legends, that is set to hold a beta test sometime soon. Legends is being co-created and co-developed alongside modders who worked on Project 1999, a popular mod that recreates the original old-school version of the game from decades ago.