Blizzard Entertainment is applying its GDKP ban policy for 'World of Warcraft: Forever' only to North America and Europe. Players in remaining regions, including Korea, will still be able to run GDKP raids.
Clay Stone, associate production director for World of Warcraft, detailed the regional scope of the GDKP ban in a written interview published on October 8 by Taiwanese gaming outlet 4Gamers. He stated that the prohibition policy will not affect regions outside North America and Europe, and that GDKP will remain permitted in other regions. He added that this approach follows the same regional policy applied to 'Season of Discovery' and the Anniversary Realms launched this year.
GDKP is a loot distribution method where raid participants bid on dropped equipment using in-game gold. The highest bidder wins the item, and the final bid amount is distributed among participants according to rules set by the raid in advance. In the Korean service, this system has long been known as "gol-pat" (gold pot).
Previously, senior game designer Josh Greenfield stated during a developer Q&A on September 17 that GDKP runs would not be allowed in 'Forever'. Because he did not specify the applicable regions at the time, his statement left room for interpretation that the ban would apply globally, including Korea. Rather than a policy reversal that lifted a ban previously enforced in Korea, this latest comment serves as a late clarification specifying the regional scope that was omitted from the original announcement.
Allowing GDKP does not mean real-money trading (RMT) of gold is permitted. Buying or selling gold for real money through third-party sellers remains subject to penalties in Korea under existing operational policies and terms of service. On October 13, Blizzard also revealed a "temporary economic hold" system for the 'Forever' beta, which restricts trade, mail, guild bank, and Auction House privileges for accounts suspected of RMT while under investigation.
