The End of Ajour - Overwolf Announces New API Roadmap to Restrict Third-Party Addon Managers

Live Posted 2021/11/14 at 6:07 PM by Archimtiros

Ajour will no longer be maintainedoutlined in Overwolf's newsletter

Casperstorm, Ajour

I started working on Ajour in summer 2020. The goal was simple: I wanted the easiest and fastest way to update and download all of your addons for World of Warcraft. The timing was good; Curse had just been sold to Overwolf, Shadowlands was about to be released, and Classic was popular.
I spent many hours building Ajour, and luckily @tarkah and @mlablah joined to help me early in the project. Together we created what I believe is one of the best addon managers ever. And on top of that, I made some new best friends.

In late 2020 Overwolf posted about their stance on third-party addon managers. The short version is that since Overwolf earns their money from ads and user data, they wanted the users to use their application rather than third-party addon managers. However, they weren't sure exactly what their plan was, so for the time being, they kept the API open as it always has been.

Fast forward to the present time. Overwolf now knows what they want to do. They will deprecate the current API and create a new API where downloads do not count towards the CurseForge Reward Program—essentially splitting the community by turning addon developers against third-party addon managers. In addition, they will rate limit third-party addon managers if one becomes too popular oh, and not all addons will be available over the API.

What does this mean for Ajour? Well, it kills my motivation, and it kills my vision for Ajour. I don't want to fight with Overwolf (anymore). It's not worth it. Overwolf has all the data which makes Ajour work, and currently, they are pulling the rug under us.
We had a good run, but now it's time for the team and me to pull the plug rather than obey their new rules and turn Ajour into something worse.

Thank you all for helping shape Ajour into what it is today. Users, supporters, contributors. To every one of you, thanks.

What happens now?

Nothing. Feel free to use Ajour until it breaks.

What should I do?

Ajour will work until the current API is turned off, when is unknown. The other third-party addon managers is relying on the same API but some might take the on the fight, so make sure to check them out: WowUp by @jliddev, Instawow by @layday or CurseBreaker by @AcidWeb - all good friends of mine. I hope the best for them, but the future is not bright.

Overwolf's acquisition of Curseforgeincrease addon author profitsdata collectionunofficial cease and desistthird-party tools hurt both their business and addon creators

Updates from the Overwolf-CurseForge Team

The API is, at heart, a service that allows the community the ability to create more tools and expand the modding workspace. We love to see the ingenuity of the community and look forward to see what you come up with next!
In the future, there might be certain rate limits or costs for edge cases, but the API is not a paywalled service and will be available for all qualified projects.

Curseforge Rewards Program

Updates from the Overwolf-CurseForge Team

So far - authors weren't given a choice if their projects are accessible through the API or not - we felt that the new API also created an opportunity to respect author intellectual property more.
While the License option sometimes covers distribution as well, we are adding a UI to emphasize and clarify the authors choice.
This simple toggle controller under 'License' in the project management area. The toggle will only be viewable to the project Owner, or the project members that received permissions to access this tab via the Membership section.

submit a formOverwolf's 3rd Party API Terms of ServiceMinecraft

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Comment by LeafstaggerOverwolf sucks. The Twitch app was so much better.Comment by novadude"..same API but some might take the on the fight" what?Comment by dlbert2000Overwolf going the extra mile to become the villainComment by AesiriaOverwolf? More like Overbullies.Comment by Toxictimbothis seems like a great way to get people to download and use your ^&*!ty addon manager that nobody %^&*ing wants to use. don't see any issues with this at all!Comment by TraitorbaneHow to antagonize multiple communities at once; a live demonstration.Comment by wespensBack to the dark ages of manual updates it is.Comment by FelplaguedI feel like the community hates addon makers.Comment by 695399No, thanks Overwolf. I'd rather update addons manually.Comment by mybelovedchaosBeen a while since I've had to manage my own addons I better brush up on it now, thanks for the warning.Comment by BlackupfreddyThis is how the community swaps off of Curse and OverWolf entirely. Goodjob! Super clean!
Now we can use WoWUp and other websites like Wago and WoWInterface!
Thank you OverWolf team for killing your product! Now others, more worthy places, can finally get the spotlight!Comment by Archimtiros"..same API but some might take the on the fight" what?Comment by immoralsoulBeen using Overwolf stuff for years with no problems /shrug.Comment by kulakaiFolks should also be aware that the Ajour developers offered Ajour under an open license, so other developers can step up to maintain the software and keep it running. It is a well written app with a wide following, so I’d expect it to be around a long time.Comment by ColiverOverwolf sucks. The Twitch app was so much better.Comment by ShlemmOverwolf sucks. The Twitch app was so much better.Comment by ArchimtirosThis is how the community swaps off of Curse and OverWolf entirely. Goodjob! Super clean!
Now we can use WoWUp and other websites like Wago and WoWInterface!
Thank you OverWolf team for killing your product! Now others, more worthy places, can finally get the spotlight!Comment by RadoznaliPersonally dont like current Curseforge since Overwolf managed to make it worse when they took over. Especially since they added more bloatware to their application.
Will Curseforge try to kill github version of addons ? There are lot of authors that have github pages and third-party World of Warcraft addon manager take their DL directly from it.Comment by CursedShadowXIINice, that's one way to kill your own business.Comment by aidlerManual download times while using uBlock Origin are coming back. Overwolf will not get/make a single dime from/with me.

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