private servers Archives

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

ESA Lobbyist Calls Private Minecraft Servers Illegal During Hearing

Jennifer Gibbons, Vice President of State Government Affairs at the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), stated during a California State Senate hearing that community servers for Minecraft and Call of Duty are "illegal" and equate to "piracy." She mentioned that the ESA has pending lawsuits against private servers and that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has identified some private servers as notorious markets for piracy. Gibbons' comments were challenged by Assemblyman Chris Ward, who noted the existence of community servers for both games. An ESA representative later clarified that Gibbons was responding to a complex question and that private servers hosting copyrighted content without authorization infringe on the intellectual property rights of game publishers. The ESA reported a total revenue of ,614,556 in the fiscal year ending March 2025, with ,804,681 from member dues.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

ESA Claims Private Minecraft Servers Are ‘Illegal’ and ‘Piracy’ in Stop Killing Games Hearing

The California State Senate hearing on the Protect Our Games Act raised questions about the legality of private Minecraft servers. Assemblyman Chris Ward noted that games like Minecraft and Call of Duty have successfully used community servers, while Jennifer Gibbons from the ESA argued that these servers are illegal and unapproved by Microsoft, labeling them as piracy. Gibbons stated that the ESA has two lawsuits against private servers for infringing on intellectual property rights. In contrast, Minecraft's official stance encourages the creation of third-party servers, which are vetted for compliance with community standards. The ESA maintains that private servers infringe on publishers' rights. The USTR's Notorious Market Report referenced by Gibbons does not specifically target community servers for connecting friends but focuses on those bypassing subscription services. The Protect Our Games Act did not advance but will be reconsidered. An ESA representative later clarified that private servers hosting copyrighted content without authorization infringe on publishers' rights and highlighted concerns about safety standards on these platforms.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

Private Minecraft servers violate the law and resemble a “black market” – according to the Entertainment Software Association

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has declared private Minecraft servers illegal, equating them to a "black market" for video games and considering them a form of piracy. The ESA is pursuing legal action against the owners of these private servers. However, Microsoft and Mojang Studios, the creators of Minecraft, do not fully share the ESA's perspective, as many fan-driven projects have thrived in a more lenient environment. Microsoft has not officially commented on the ESA's statements regarding private servers.

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

ESA bafflingly declares private Minecraft servers ‘illegal’ in Stop Killing Games hearing: ‘We consider it piracy, we have lawsuits’

During a California State Senate hearing on the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), Jennifer Gibbons, vice president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), claimed that private servers for games like Minecraft and Call of Duty are illegal and constitute piracy. This statement has been challenged by gaming communities, as players can legally set up private servers by downloading a .jar file from the official Minecraft website. Advocates for the Protect Our Games Act plan to enhance their lobbying efforts by increasing funding, establishing an in-person presence, and forming a coalition of organizations and developers. Additionally, there are plans to introduce similar legislation in other states and potentially at the federal level.

AppWizard

June 15, 2026

Steam’s second most-played game right now is reportedly a bot-filled marketplace that can get you banned

Steam's player population data shows that idle games are popular, with Bongo Cat remaining prominent and Banana achieving the tenth-highest peak for concurrent players. Task Bar Hero, launched at the end of May, reached approximately 450,000 concurrent players overnight and set a new record of 526,596 concurrent players, ranking just below Counter-Strike 2. The game's success is attributed to its passive item earning mechanic, allowing players to sell items on the Steam marketplace, where some items are valued between £50 and £150, and a legendary bow is listed for £1,183.16. Concerns have arisen about market manipulation by a bot farm, leading developers to enhance data collection on private servers to identify unauthorized program users. The data tracked includes user ID, game version, and device information.

AppWizard

June 14, 2026

Blizzard sues to kill another World of Warcraft private server for ‘large scale, egregious, and ongoing infringement of [its] intellectual property’

Blizzard Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Project Ascension, a private World of Warcraft server, claiming it operates a substantial business model based on significant infringement of Blizzard's intellectual property. Project Ascension reportedly attracts over a million players and allows in-game item purchases through Donation Points, generating millions for its operators. The server is allegedly hosted on "bulletproof" servers linked to the Russia-based Aeza Group, which has been targeted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for cybercrime. The Turtle WoW server previously faced similar legal action from Blizzard, and there has been no public response from Project Ascension regarding the lawsuit. Community sentiment appears to be one of resignation towards the situation.

Tech Optimizer

May 27, 2026

‘Adversaries are no longer just targeting products, they’re targeting the developers who build them’: CrowdStrike takes down major botnet targeting developers across the world

CrowdStrike, Google, and the Shadowserver Foundation dismantled the Glassworm botnet on May 26, 2026, which had been targeting software developers since early 2025. The botnet spread through compromised Visual Studio Code extensions, tainted npm and Python packages, and hacked GitHub repositories, stealing developer credentials and deploying the GlasswormRAT remote access tool across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Glassworm utilized four command-and-control channels: the Solana blockchain, BitTorrent DHT, Google Calendar event titles, and traditional VPS. The operation successfully disrupted all four channels, preventing infected machines from receiving new instructions or payloads.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

Ancient MMO Final Fantasy 11 still has new things on the horizon 24 years after launch

Final Fantasy 11, launched in 2002, continues to have a dedicated player base despite being overshadowed by newer titles like Final Fantasy 14 and Guild Wars 2. Square Enix has updated the game's website to modernize its appearance and announced new features, including the ability to replay story missions. A recent update allows players to progress to level 75 without a time limit in the previously time-limited 14-day free trial, although access to certain areas remains restricted. This update underscores the game's ongoing relevance and support from Square Enix.

AppWizard

May 4, 2026

How a ’90s Zelda PC port became a fangame factory, turning one legend into a thousand

Whale falls occur when whales die and their carcasses create nutrient-rich ecosystems that attract various marine life, including the bone-eating snot flower worm. In gaming, ZQuest Classic is a user-friendly game creation tool that allows fans to create their own games, often inspired by the Zelda series. The platform has a supportive community, with a database of custom games categorized by genre. Notable creations include The Deep, a metroidvania quest, and larger projects like Lost Isle and The Hero of Dreams. Developers like Eddy Oliveira have made significant contributions, and the dynamic between lead developers Emily Venezia and Clark is essential for the platform's evolution. They are preparing for the 3.0 release, which will introduce new features to enhance game development.

AppWizard

April 12, 2026

Fan World of Warcraft servers face shut down as Blizzard wins Turtle WoW case

Activision Blizzard won a copyright infringement lawsuit against the private gaming server Turtle WoW, which was filed in August 2025. The court ordered Turtle WoW to cease all activities related to private servers and modded client software. The ruling prohibits the defendants from transferring any Turtle WoW client software, source code, or promotional materials to third parties. A settlement has been reached between Blizzard and the Turtle WoW defendants, with plans for Blizzard to file for a dismissal of the case by June 8, 2026. Donations on the Turtle WoW website have been suspended, and the community is reacting to the court's decision.