Freeing up old unused names

You keep mentioning it as a routine service in WOW.

First, it is NOT a routine service. It may happen occasionally, but it is by no means routine. The rare times it happens, it requires GM intervention and there are strict requirements that must be met. It is not simply a case of "he has a name I want, give it to me".

Second, WOW is vastly different, in that it is a subscription ONLY game. There is a vast difference between a subscription game and one with a F2P element.

It actually is quite routine, I have read an AMA with a GM who said it's one of the most common services and that some people even ask for checks on 10+ names at once. And it did not sound like the character in question was under a lot of scrutiny as well, probably just an activity check on the account. Sadly, I cannot find a link *sigh*.

True, WoW is subscription only and there is a vast difference between sub and F2P based games. But if once-subscribers in WoW can lose names, why shouldn't F2P players? It is actually quite a benefit for this game to be F2P, as if a player wants to save his name but is out of money for sub he simply logs in and "the timer" resets. WoW players (like myself) don't have this luxury.

Why should ANYONE have to worry about losing their name to someone who wants to steal it?

That '57 chevy is just sitting in your garage not being used. Timmy would drive it, so why should he not have it if you are not using it?

I won't even ask you to stop with that stealing thing, as you apparently have no grasp of reality.

Honestly, if you worry your name will get stolen you are an active player. No inactive player worries about their name in a game they don't play. If you do I'm sorry for you.

It's honestly pathetic they haven't already cleared old names. Nobody "owns" their name, and if they're not using it, it should be freed up. It would certainly help with the ridiculous names containing special characters, apostrophes, and dashes.

@OP I would ignore the two buffoons in the room, they're just fedora wearers trying to protect their accounts and accounts of their p-pprecious RP names.

Wow.. Here is the thread ending post right here!!! Not a single point made, insults abound, name calling.. I bet a genius wrote this post..

For the record.. I am not an RP'er..

I love how this person just assumes he has the right to dictate who should lose their names and who shouldn't??

more Q.Q from a sad RPer, take off the fedora and get a little sun, sunshine.

Nobody owns a name, if they aren't making good use of it, it should be returned to the pool. with over 4.1million accounts (at least) with the amount of characters per account, names are drying up FAST.

That '57 chevy is just sitting in your garage not being used. Timmy would drive it, so why should he not have it if you are not using it?