World of Warcraft devs target more private servers following Turtle WoW closure for “large-scale” copyright infringement

Published:

16 June 2026

Last Updated: 16 June 2026

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Following the official takedown of popular World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW earlier this year, Blizzard is continuing its pushback against even more private servers. Following its short legal battle, Blizzard is now targeting popular fan server Project Ascension.

Discovered in a report by Aftermath, Blizzard has filed a copyright lawsuit against Project Ascension. The WoW owners claim that the private server has “distributed (and are continuing to distribute) millions of pirated copies of Blizzard’s copyrighted game software.”

Blizzard claims that the private server has become “a lucrative way to exploit and profit from the popularity of the WoW game experience.” The gaming giant adds that the private server is operated via “large-scale, egregious, and ongoing infringement” of the WoW IP that “has caused significant and irreparable harm to Blizzard.”

To play Project Ascension, players do need to download a bespoke Ascension Client which allows them to install the particular flavour of WoW while also bypassing Blizzard’s subscription. Blizzard argues that the removed DRM to boot into the MMO is paramount to distribution of pirated materials.

Additionally, the private server option makes use of World of Warcraft’s trademarks which aims to “mislead players”, according to the lawsuit. The studio claims that Project Ascension has ignored multiple communications from the company to address the issues, and as a result is now following legal action.

Project Ascension had its own trailers and marketing pushes for major updates.

Of course, Blizzard is no stranger to tackling private servers, although the studio’s recent push has specifically targeted those running on custom clients. There are a number of custom servers that make use of the standard Blizzard client, and those appear to be safe for the most part. At least for now.

Project Ascension, similar to Turtle WoW, also heavily advertised its existence online. Additionally, while Turtle WoW accepted money in the form of donations, Project Ascension also had paid options for mounts and other items.

The continued action against private clients also comes amongst rumours that Blizzard is planning its own World of Warcraft Classic+ product. While there has been no confirmation from Blizzard, the success of WoW Classic and associated private clients has led many to believe that a Classic+ is an inevitability.

About The Author

Lewis White

Lewis White is a veteran games journalist with over a decade in the field. Starting with beloved Xbox website ICXM/XboxMAD, Lewis became the Gaming Editor at MSPoweruser before becoming the Editor in Chief of StealthOptional and Gfinityesports. Lewis later jumped to By Gamers For Gamers where he jumped to become EIC of VideoGamer and the host of the New VideoGamer Podcast prior to the website’s acquisition.

Over the years, Lewis has also seen long-form investigative pieces published in outlets such as Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, Retro Gamer, Nintendo Life, and EDGE. Now, as the Editor in Chief of FRVR Blog, Lewis strives to bring the same level of quality journalism with interview-led content to the site in both written and audio form with the FRVR Podcast.

With a First Degree BA Hons in Games Journalism and Public Relations, Lewis has been a stable part of the British games press for over a decade, and has frequently displayed his love of Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and other games pretty much everywhere he’s worked. And FRVR is no different.

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