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Diablo 3: Real Money & Gold Auction Houses to Be Removed

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

Blizzard has announced that it will be removing the gold and real-money auction houses from Diablo 3. According to a post on Battle.Net's D3 site, the implementation of Loot 2.0 should eliminate the need for players to have to rely on the auction house to be 'successful' in the game and give them the opportunity to find their own gear.

When we initially designed and implemented the auction houses, the driving goal was to provide a convenient and secure system for trades. But as we've mentioned on different occasions, it became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot. With that in mind, we want to let everyone know that we've decided to remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III.

We feel that this move along with the Loot 2.0 system being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls™ will result in a much more rewarding game experience for our players. 

We're working out the details of how the auction house system will be shut down, but we wanted to share the news as soon as we made the decision in order to give everyone as much advance notice as possible. Please note that the shutdown will occur on March 18, 2014. We will keep everyone informed as we work through this process.

Josh Mosqueira and I wanted to provide everyone with a little more information behind this decision, so please have a look at the video, and stay tuned to this site for further updates in the months ahead.

Thoughts? Comment!






¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


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Comments

  • Stone_FountainStone_Fountain Member UncommonPosts: 233
    Nice!

    First PC Game: Pool of Radiance July 10th, 1990. First MMO: Everquest April 23, 1999

  • logicbomb82logicbomb82 Member UncommonPosts: 228
    I loved the idea of auction house for RL money but it always ends up with not being what I expected.
    I run the Mature Minded Gamers. We do video and board gaming videos and reviews. We also have a big Dungeons and Dragons community with multiple games active each week.
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  • ScivaSciva Member UncommonPosts: 298
    Respect to them for changing their minds on this, i'll definately buy the xpack now.
  • maplestonemaplestone Member UncommonPosts: 3,099

    Called it! :)   ( http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/5009008 )

    ( although the rest of my post sort of rambed on about geomorphs in a way that overestimated how much variation there would be from map to map ... something I didn't notice until playing through a few more runs )

  • PAL-18PAL-18 Member UncommonPosts: 844

    March 18, 2014 is the day when im gonna try it again.

     

    So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014.
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  • YaevinduskYaevindusk Member RarePosts: 2,094

    With the new ideas and updates they have for the expansion (as well as the patches) the only thing left for it to really feel like a Diablo game to me is the abolishment of the long cooldown abilities.  They lost their way with the "There's no such thing as too much power thing" (in that they added cooldowns and nerfed showcased abilities) and put so many of these types of skills in the game, it was kind've a slap in the face to fans of the previous incarnation of the franchise.

     

    In addition to that, it would be nice to see an offline version so that we will get our modding community back (also updated ways to find games and better chat options).

     

    Looking great otherwise and glad they're taking the steps necessary to potentially make the franchise what it was meant to be.

     
    Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing).  German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century.  Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now).  I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things).  In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while.  If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.

    Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this.  If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own.  Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis.  Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
  • GorillaGorilla Member UncommonPosts: 2,235
    Guess it didn't produce the revenue they anticipated. So item shop shortly after?
  • beej1986beej1986 Member UncommonPosts: 80
    Offline gameplay next?

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  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 6,959
    Originally posted by Gorilla
    Guess it didn't produce the revenue they anticipated. So item shop shortly after?

    More like sweatshops slaving workers to play 24/7 filling up the whole RMAH and crashing the prices and People getting fed up With crap drops and stopped playing.

    About time they removed these abominations and bring the game back to being a game again!

    There is a reason why the console Version is such a huge success at the moment.

  • Swedish_ChefSwedish_Chef Member Posts: 213

    Doesn't matter to me. I've never used either one. At least now people can't complain that the AH is ruining the game (even though it only did so if someone abused it).

    Looks like Reaper of Souls is poised to be to D3 what Lord of Destruction was to D2.

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    Wow. That's a big deal. I wonder if markets will open up outside of the game now.

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • ZekiahZekiah Member UncommonPosts: 2,483

    Wow, nice. Completely unexpected.

    I was 100% sure I was NOT going to buy the expansion before this and I'm now at 75%. But one new class? One?!

    Ugh, just can't justify an expansion for ONE class.

    Happy about the AH though.

    "Censorship is never over for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever." - Noam Chomsky

  • moguy2moguy2 Member Posts: 337
    That is bad news for all us botters who effortlessly made money. Was good while it lasted huh?
  • AtrusVAtrusV Member UncommonPosts: 305

    I should have learned fro my experience in EVE Online where the market behaves like the real world market would do. In other words, if something is very profitable, expect a lot of competition now, or shortly. I wished that in Diablo 3 luck was a nice way to get a bit of cash for myself, but in the end, it wasn't.

     

    The only thing I don't like about this change is that i will have to visit many online games, yelling my goods at general chat..... I hated that in Diablo 2 and Guild Wars 1

    image
  • doodphacedoodphace Member UncommonPosts: 1,858
    Originally posted by Gorilla
    Guess it didn't produce the revenue they anticipated. So item shop shortly after?

    Or they looked at the overwhelmingly posative reacton to the loot system in the console versions, coupled with the PC players feedback, and decided to right their wrong?

    I guess the world will never run out of tin foil ;)

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910


    Originally posted by moguy2
    That is bad news for all us botters who effortlessly made money. Was good while it lasted huh?

    What's to stop botters from selling gold and items like they always did in D2?

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • garrettgarrett MMORPG.COM Staff UncommonPosts: 284
    Great Move! 
     :p 
  • adam_noxadam_nox Member UncommonPosts: 2,148

    Yeah the item market will move to ebay, but it still changes the game because many people won't use that as a way since it's not endorsed by the game, nor feel as secure.  If ebay won't allow it, then that will narrow the amount of people willing to buy from other 3rd party sites by a lot.

     

    It's not that the RMAH wasn't making them money, it was making them a LOT of money.  But as people got fed up with the way it worked, it's likely the revenue started to fade, and they now have an X-Pac they desperately need to convince people to buy.  So they have to make this move to get the sales they need on the expansion, and hopefully this is the beginning of a regular series of expansions. 

     

    Still, I will probably play it only on ps4. 

  • doodphacedoodphace Member UncommonPosts: 1,858
    Originally posted by adam_nox

    Yeah the item market will move to ebay, but it still changes the game because many people won't use that as a way since it's not endorsed by the game, nor feel as secure.  If ebay won't allow it, then that will narrow the amount of people willing to buy from other 3rd party sites by a lot.

     

    It's not that the RMAH wasn't making them money, it was making them a LOT of money.  But as people got fed up with the way it worked, it's likely the revenue started to fade, and they now have an X-Pac they desperately need to convince people to buy.  So they have to make this move to get the sales they need on the expansion, and hopefully this is the beginning of a regular series of expansions. 

     

    Still, I will probably play it only on ps4. 

    EBay removes virtual items pretty quickly...so will prob end up with shady Ah sites like D2 and other games.

    Moral of the story, it wont be easy, which is a good thing.

  • expressoexpresso Member UncommonPosts: 2,218
    I just started D3 up again, playing a monk on Monster Power 10 leveling from 1-60, I am towards the end of act2 at the moment only 1 ledgendary so far.  Loot 2.0 should resolve that.
  • doodphacedoodphace Member UncommonPosts: 1,858
    Originally posted by expresso
    I just started D3 up again, playing a monk on Monster Power 10 leveling from 1-60, I am towards the end of act2 at the moment only 1 ledgendary so far.  Loot 2.0 should resolve that.

    Why would you level a toon with MP10. The only items worth keeping are ilvl 63, which only drop on inferno, are are pretty much only found with 5 stacks of lvl 60 only nephlem valor. I guess you would do it for the challenge, but your post is regarding loot, so it doesnt really make much sense imo.

  • expressoexpresso Member UncommonPosts: 2,218
    I also guest the expac will be release in March 2014 when the auction houses are closed... that's a long way off 
  • expressoexpresso Member UncommonPosts: 2,218
    Originally posted by doodphace
    Originally posted by expresso
    I just started D3 up again, playing a monk on Monster Power 10 leveling from 1-60, I am towards the end of act2 at the moment only 1 ledgendary so far.  Loot 2.0 should resolve that.

    Why would you level a toon with MP10. The only items worth keeping are ilvl 63, which only drop on inferno, are are pretty much only found with 5 stacks of lvl 60 only nephlem valor. I guess you would do it for the challenge, but your post is regarding loot, so it doesnt really make much sense imo.

     

    Yeah it was for the challenge but the problem is you level up twice as fast so the extra dmg and hp the monsters have are kind of cancelled out by your high level, good for the gold though.

     
  • goozmaniagoozmania Member RarePosts: 394
    I'm surprised they actually backed down. The AH and loot system were the #1 reason I found this game so terrible. I could only stomach 1 playthrough because in 12 hours, I never got a single usable piece of gear; there was no RPG fun at all.
  • Greymantle4Greymantle4 Member UncommonPosts: 809
    Originally posted by Swedish_Chef

    Doesn't matter to me. I've never used either one. At least now people can't complain that the AH is ruining the game (even though it only did so if someone abused it).

    Looks like Reaper of Souls is poised to be to D3 what Lord of Destruction was to D2.

    This ^^^ .. though I'm sure they will find something else to complain about. :P

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