Stormforge shuts down WoW private servers as Blizzard ramps up crackdown
Stormforge, a private World of Warcraft server project, will cease all operations by May 14, 2026 after a cease-and-desist from Blizzard; realms remain online until closure but no new accounts can be created. With Blizzard winning a court case against Turtle WoW, the crackdown on fan-run servers appears to continue, pushing players toward official WoW Classic options. Stormforge says it will pivot to its own non-Blizzard projects in the future.