World of Warcraft recruit-a-friend system closing down

The long-running recruit- a-friend (RAF) program for Blizzard's iconic MMORPG World of Warcraft will be coming to a close early this June, a program which started over 10 years ago when an in-game mount was offered to any players willing to participate in the social plan.

In the blog post detailing the change, we hear that "as of June 11, 2019, the current program will come to an end, and you'll no longer be able to send new RAF invitations". However, it was also announced the closure of the system is only temporary, as "the program will be back in its new form before you know it".

Until then, players can still take advantage of the system by linking a qualifying friend to their own account before June 11, opening up the possibility of unlocking extra game time, obtainable mounts, or even bonus experience gain.

Fans have voiced their opinions about the closure of the system since its announcement, with some confused about why there needs to be a break between the old and new systems, while others claim having no recruit-a-friend to be "worse" than the original program. Some fans, however, are glad to see the system being replaced, suggesting it became worse over time.

"We don't have a timeframe to share with you just yet, nor do we have information we're ready to share on the changes and updated rewards just yet either. Sorry, we'll do our best to get you that information when we can" said Nethaera, community manager for World of Warcraft.

What do you think about the recruit-a-friend hiatus?