As players of the immensely popular World of Warcraft are well aware, Blizzard isn't afraid to dust off its fabled banhammer and boot players from the game's servers for breaking the rules. When members of the community begin utilizing mods or bots to cheat, it's only fair to the rest of the player base that these users get their up-and-comings.

This time around, however, Blizzard has sent a very strong message to those willing to overstep their boundaries in World of Warcraft by issuing a ban that'll impact over 100,000 players.

Taking to the game's official forums, a community manager issued a statement on the bans. According to Blizzard, the widespread banning is a result of players using bots to put their characters through various tasks while they're not actually playing.

"We’ve recently taken action against a large number of World of Warcraft accounts that were found to be using third-party programs that automate gameplay, known as “bots.” We’re committed to providing an equal and fair playing field for everyone in World of Warcraft, and will continue to take action against those found in violation of our Terms of Use. Cheating of any form will not be tolerated."

The final sentence in this statement seems to say it all, and it's backed up by the fact that reportedly over 100,000 players have been banned for their in-game actions. Even in the wake of rapidly declining subscriptions, it's good to see that Blizzard is sticking to its guns and not tolerating cheating of any form – despite the revenue that's being generated by these paid subscribers.

Allegedly, the bans issued will last six months, which will undoubtedly have an impact on World of Warcraft's tight-knit community. It just goes to show that, despite the goofy facade that the developer puts on while adding new aspects to the game – like Katy Perry's left shark, for example – Blizzard still remains fiercely dedicated to maintaining a fair in-game environment for its players.

Hopefully players will learn that enlisting the help of bots (even if they are just used to hit buttons during a battle) is strictly forbidden, and comes with severe consequences. On the bright side, these bans aren't permanent, which means that those that have gotten the boot will be able to return in due time. Still, it's a harsh lesson learned for anyone that thought they'd be able to get away with a few minor modifications.

Source: Battle.net (via PC Gamer)