Linux Users Report Bannings from Diablo 3 for Using Wine

When it comes to PC gaming, it’s been proven time and time again that Linux users always get the short end of the stick. It’s not much of a surprise given overall usage of Linux on the desktop, but it’s unfortunate nonetheless. Because of this situation, it’s not uncommon to see people trying to get the latest blockbusters working under their OS of choice, either through Wine or something similar.

In the case of Diablo III, the game happens to run through Wine no problem, much like World of Warcraft. As it would seem, getting the game to actually run is just one part of the equation, as getting Blizzard to not detect Wine as a false positive for a cheat is another.

In the past week, a couple of Linux users have been banned from the game, and Blizzard has refused to tell them the exact reason. However, the company does allude to the fact that it’s due to some form of cheating. Meanwhile, the victims vehemently reject the idea that they ever cheated, and have come forth in an effort to make Blizzard admit its wrongdoing. While any cheater could simply say they’re not cheating, there are far fewer people that would claim that and then publicly encourage the developer to investigate things further.

So far, Blizzard has been very unhelpful, and one representative in particular seems less-than-honest in his responses. In one post, he states he can’t reveal why these players were banned, while in another, he publicly posts sensitive information about someone’s account that shouldn’t have been. As a result, Blizzard simply isn’t being shone in a good light.

While this banning doesn’t seem to have affected every Wine user, Blizzard’s absolute reluctance to tell these players exactly what they did wrong is a little off-putting. After all, these players paid for the game, and they should be entitled to an explanation if they are banned from it. Given all of the issues that Diablo III has experienced since its launch, this one is just another to toss on the pile.

Thanks to Kayden for pointing out this story to us.