With the release of the beta of Starcraft II, Blizzard introduced a new feature called "Real ID" -- essentially the feature is your "real-life" full name being used as your username. The feature was trumpeted to be "completely voluntary" and "keeps players connected across all of Battle.net".
Today, Blizzard announced some major changes coming to their forums, saying that in the "near future" you will be required to post on the official Blizzard forums using your Real ID, which is essentially your full, real life name. Blizzard says that "the forums have also earned a reputation as a place where flame wars, trolling, and other unpleasantness run wild" and they have made the move because "Removing the veil of anonymity typical to online dialogue will contribute to a more positive forum environment, promote constructive conversations, and connect the Blizzard community in ways they haven’t been connected before."
The announcement also says that the update will include staffers, who will also now be posting under their full names, but with their posts in blue.
Backlash has been huge on the forums, with well over 26 pages in one thread as of writing, and another over on the WoW forums with 388 posts and climbing. Most replies are negative with some users writing: