Blizzard calls authenticator suit "without merit", "frivolous"

Blizzard has stoutly denied any wrongdoing in response to a class-action lawsuit over Battle.net security and authenticators.

The suit's claim that a Battle.net authenticator, which sells for $6.40, is required for minimum account security is "completely untrue and apparently based on a misunderstanding of the Authenticator’s purpose," the publisher said in a statement provided to Ausgamers.

"Considering that players are ultimately responsible for securing their own computers, and that the extra step required by the Authenticator is an added inconvenience during the log in process, we ultimately leave it up to the players to decide whether they want to add an Authenticator to their account. However, we always strongly encourage it, and we try to make it as easy as possible to do."

The statement also described the suit's insistence that Blizzard did not communicate security breach updates to users as "not true".

"We explained the actions we were taking and let players know how the incident affected them, including the fact that no names, credit card numbers, or other sensitive financial information was disclosed. You can read our letter to players and a comprehensive FAQ related to the situation on our website."

In summary, Blizzard called the entire suit "without merit and filled with patently false information" and thanked players for their positive response to it.

"Blizzard deeply appreciates the outpouring of support it has received from its players related to the frivolous claims in this particular suit," the publisher said.

The class action suit against Blizzard is calling for class damages for "consumer fraud, unjust enrichment, negligence, breach of contract and bailment” related to StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3, as well as an injunction against “tacking on undisclosed costs".