World of Warcraft database site Wowhead.com has been sold to the ZAM Network.

　　The owners of the popular World of Warcraft fan site Wowhead.com--which provides info about the game's monsters, items, spells and more--have sold it off because they want to spend more time "developing the site and playing WOW." The site has been bought by the ZAM Network, a company owned by Affinity Media, for an undisclosed sum, rumoured to be a cool $1 million.

　　Affinity Media also own other massively multiplayer online role playing game encyclopaedia-style sites Thottbot, Allakhazam along with forum site MMO Interface.

　　The deal has not been without controversy, since ZAM Network owns gold farming company IGE, and that ads for virtual item and gold sales will soon start to appear on the site.

　　ZAM Network president John Maffei, said in an interview on the Wowhead.com Web site that the company no longer owns or has any affiliation with gold farming company IGE, which is currently being sued by a veteran WOW gamer for "impairing his enjoyment of the game." Maffei said, "Neither Wowhead or the ZAM Network have ever had gold or powerleveling ads, and they never will. We sold IGE. We are clearly separating our business from those practices. Why would we start running gold ads now?"

　　When asked how much the Wowhead Web site had been to ZAM Network sold for, Wowhead.com co-lead developer, Joshua (Mystadio), "Enough so that we can do fun stuff but not enough that we can stop working."

　　CEO Tim Sullivan added, "It was a fair offer and the timing was right."