Yes, you can family share Blizzard games to a limited extent

Let‘s get one thing straight – you cannot freely share Blizzard games the way you may be used to on platforms like Steam. However, Blizzard does facilitate game license transfers between Battle.net accounts in special limited cases.

As a fellow passionate gamer, I‘ll provide an in-depth guide on how game sharing works for Blizzard, things to keep in mind, and why broader account sharing violates their Terms of Service (ToS). My goal is simply to equip you with the knowledge needed to avoid any nasty account bans!

Which Blizzard Games Allow License Transfers?

Here‘s a quick overview of which titles allow game transfers between accounts:

As you can see, game sharing is limited to only a handful of Blizzard titles. It‘s also worth emphasizing – you can only transfer licenses between Battle.net accounts registered to the SAME account holder.

So in other words, transferring a World of Warcraft license from my account to my brother‘s would violate the ToS. But if I held licenses across multiple Battle.net accounts under my name, I could consolidate them into a single account (e.g. moving my Hearthstone progress from Account A to Account B, both belonging to me).

The Rationale – Why Blizzard Restricts Sharing

You might be wondering – if game sharing helps improve access, what‘s the big deal? Why does Blizzard explicitly prohibit broader account sharing?

There‘s a few reasons driving this strict policy:

Account Security & Privacy

When login credentials are shared across multiple individuals, it becomes impossible to isolate account ownership or activity. If my friend rage-hacks on my Overwatch account while I‘m sleeping, I would have no recourse with Blizzard to prove it wasn‘t me!

Even with people you trust, you may not want them accessing other personal details tied to your Battle.net like emails, payment info, etc. Game progress itself could also potentially be disrupted if people accidentally overwrite each other‘s saves.

Upholding Fair Play & Sportsmanship

Shared accounts also enable cheating and toxic behavior to proliferate unchecked. For example, a banned player could simply borrow a buddy‘s Call of Duty login and resume hacking or harassing others under a different guise. Smurfing also becomes rampant.

Prevents Fraud & Abuse

Most importantly, Blizzard needs to verify licensed gamers to prevent unauthorized access and piracy. Shared logins can enable hundreds of people to play a game with a single license. That hurts developers and allows abuse to thrive unchecked. Steam avoids this via technology locks – but the principle remains.

So in summary – by requiring individual accounts, Blizzard upholds security, fair play, and integrity across its gaming ecosystems. The restrictions ultimately aim to protect player experience and the interests of all stakeholders.

What About Steam Game Sharing?

In contrast, Steam explicitly allows sharing your entire game library with up to 10 other devices simultaneously. Friends or family can access your games freely as long as you set up Family Library Sharing on your Steam account.

So why does Steam allow it while Blizzard cracks down?

The core difference lies in technology control. Steam‘s DRM ensures games are still only playable on one computer at a time, even if credentials are shared. So the actual license terms are still upheld – while more easily enabling access through a trusted circle.

Blizzard‘s extremely popular online games don‘t allow the same isolation and control. So unfortunately the risk spectrum is far broader when it comes to potential fraud or abuse at scale through account sharing.

What About Xbox Game Pass Family Sharing?

On a separate note, Xbox also offers a specific Game Pass Friends & Family plan – allowing up to 5 people to share a single Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

The rationale is similar to Netflix or Spotify accounts. While you still couldn‘t freely share individual game purchases, subscriptions naturally enable easier access control and sharing across trusted circles.

Since Blizzard games require discrete licenses, it limits them from easily replicating a subscription sharing model reserved for more cloud-centric services.

Consequences of Violating Blizzard‘s Account Sharing Policy

So what actually happens if you share beyond Blizzard‘s narrow allowance? You should be aware – violations of Terms of Service often result in:

• Restricted game access
• Revoke live game services
• Forfeit game progress and items
• Temporary or permanent account bans

And once your Battle.net account has been disabled or closed, Blizzard will not assist in recovering any lost items, levels, progress or assets associated with the games. Don‘t say I didn‘t warn you!

While public stats are unavailable, Blizzard has communicated a zero tolerance policy on unauthorized account sharing or purchases. Any disputes just create a messy situation with ownership almost impossible to validate.

Managing Multiple Battle.net Accounts Properly

Given the restrictions around sharing, what‘s the best way to manage game access across family members?

My recommendation if you want to share Blizzard game libraries across households is to create dedicated Battle.net accounts for each gamer.

While you‘d need to purchase separate game licenses, it uphold‘s Blizzard‘s ToS and maintains integrity through discrete logins. You retain full control over each account and all associated items/progress.

The one (micro) exception is Blizzard does allow gifting of game subscriptions or digital balance to other accounts. So within policy constraints, you could occasionally pitch in to cover your kid brother‘s World of Warcraft subscription!

But when it comes to sharing the actual games themselves – individual accounts remains the only fully sanctioned approach.

The Best Path Forward for Blizzard Sharing

As gamers themselves, I‘m sure Blizzard recognizes the desire for easy access and sharing with family. The question boils down to finding the right technology and commercial balance.

Personally, my hope is that Blizzard eventually expands sharing for more single-player experiences like Diablo III. I also think they could consider rolling out a Game Pass style family subscription option for their classic games catalogue.

But when it comes to privacy, security integrity across their live ecosystems – I fully respect and understand Blizzard‘s need to uphold their current policies. Just like Virtual Ticket sharing or TwitchPrime loot – unauthorized access simply isn‘t worth the account risk!

So in summary:

• Limited sharing is permitted when combining personal accounts
• Broader sharing violates Terms and can prompt bans
• Individual accounts remain the fully sanctioned approach
• Future potential to expand sharing for select games/subscriptions

I hope this insider‘s guide has helped explain Blizzard‘s overall game sharing strategy! Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below.