Reports of 'Diablo 3' players banned for using Linux (update: Blizzard denies)

Reports have emerged from Blizzard's official forum that a number of Linux users have been banned from Diablo 3 because the operating system is not supported.

Reports have emerged from Blizzard's official forum that a number of Linux users have been banned from Diablo 3 because the operating system is not supported.

While it is unknown how widespread the problem is, Linux users have taken to the forums to vent about their accounts being closed without a fair explanation from Blizzard.

One forum member said the response he received to his support ticket listed his account as being closed because he committed the offence of using "Unapproved Third Party Software".

The description of the offence is listed as: "A third party program is any file or program that is used in addition to the game to gain an unfair advantage. These programs may increase movement speed or teleport heroes from one place to another beyond what is allowed by game design. It also includes any programs that obtain information from the game that is not normally available to the regular player or that transmit or modify any of the game files."

Some players who use a Windows Emulator (Wine) have experienced similar problems with their Diablo 3 accounts.

We have reached out to Blizzard for comment on why certain Linux users have been banned from the game and we will update this story when more information becomes available.

Update: Blizzard has issued a statement to Kotaku denying the rumors that Linux players are being banned outright.

"We've extensively tested for false positive situations, including replicating system setups for those who have posted claiming they were banned unfairly," the statement reads. "We've not found any situations that could produce a false positive, have found that the circumstances for which they were banned were clear and accurate, and we are extremely confident in our findings.

"Playing the game on Linux, although not officially supported, will not get you banned - cheating will."