Diablo III real-money auction house aiming for June 12

May 30, 2012 2:06PM PDT

In-game message indicates delayed game service for Blizzard's dungeon crawler being readied to launch in two weeks.

Blizzard is aiming to launch the Diablo III real-money auction house on June 12, according to an in-game notification spotted by Joystiq. The service was originally slated to arrive around May 22, but was delayed indefinitely just last week, with Blizzard saying it needed "a bit more time to iron out the existing general stability and gameplay issues."

Diablo III's real-money auction house is now targeted to launch the week after E3.

When the Diablo III real-money auction house does arrive, it will allow players to purchase and sell weapons, armor, and other items. As detailed earlier this month, Blizzard will take $1 from every piece of equipment (weapons and armor) successfully sold. For commodities like crafting materials, gems, gold, and what Blizzard described as "stackable" items, the company will enact a 15 percent transaction fee. On top of that, Blizzard will take another 15 percent if gamers elect to move funds to a third-party service like PayPal.

Gamers can avoid that fee (and PayPal's own surcharge) by dumping the cash into their Battle.net account, but there, the funds can be used only to purchase Blizzard games, subscriptions, and merchandise. For more on fees associated with Diablo III's auction house, check out Blizzard's comprehensive FAQ.

The Diablo III real-money auction house is not the only feature missing from the long-awaited game. The dungeon crawler launched without player-versus-player multiplayer, which will be added to the game via a patch at a later date.

For more on Diablo III, check out GameSpot's review.

By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

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235 comments

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Kronn

Some of you people are hopeless, The reason companys include cash shops/auctions is so that the people who have jobs and contribute to society can keep up with the no job hardcores who play 24hours a day, You grind all day on a game I grind at work and I buy what I need to keep up with you. Also STOP giving the game negative feed-back you are the ones bringing it down with all your S__T talking. Get a job or shut the F__K up.

BludshedX

2 Like

@Kronn It's a game. Game's aren't meant to be taken so seriously. Smart people spend money wisely, you know.. like on necessities and tangibles. Therefore spending money on virtual bling for your character is not smart. Therefore you have no right to tell people what to do.

I see your point, but common.. it's virtual items. How stupid does a person have to be to spend money on something that isn't even real. You're literally paying for a few bits of code which Blizzard's loot generator of a game randomly throws out. Blizzard's rigged the system.. and dumb asses are feeding it.

diablo3dealer

Hey all just letting you know that I found this guide to make money on Diablo 3 and I wanted to tell everyone that it really works, anyways let me know what you think and check it out here ?www.diablo3unoffauctionhouseguide.com

BludshedX

@diablo3dealer it beeeeegggggiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinsss

markvons

3 Like

I never understood why people would want to buy items off of ebay and now with the auction houses. For me the fun part of the Diablo games is killing stuff and getting loot drops and when you do find that one awesome item you've been looking for it's like hitting the jackpot. Scrolling through a list of items and comparing stats is just boring and I don't care how rare the item is.

BludshedX

@markvons People are dumb that's why.

nord1c

1 Like

How is the real Money Auction house not gambling? The gambler (You) pays a wager called the game's price to the Casino (Blizzard). Then he starts playing a game which supplies winnings (item drops) of different value according to random chance. Then the gambler can convert his winnings into real money, by using the Casino's "auction house".If I cannot play legally on Casinoroom.com etc., how can what Blizzard does be legal in the USA, or any other country that bans online gambling?

Kronn

Buy low(find random item) sell high(put it on auction) is NOT gambling.

This comment has been deleted

BludshedX

Can't be said any better. If anything this sort of behavior encourages piracy. Just take a look at all the people who legitimately purchased ubisoft's online DRM plagued games and struggled to play there games, yet all the pirates had no problem with their cracked versions. Many legit customers who wanted to play their game, rather than waiting for ubisoft to get their act together, had to resort to cracked copies in order to play the game they bought!

Daaah??

cardinalphoenix

@buccomatic Nerfed. I'm really starting to hate that term. People find a strategy that works way too well, the company weakens it to make the game harder, and those people complain. Then, you have the people who complain the game is too easy, and stop playing. Why is it that I'm happy with what they gave me?

Do I plan on using the RMAH? Only unless I need one stinking piece of some set item, and I can buy that piece for less than 5 bucks. Otherwise, won't bother. Let others with money to burn use it. The RMAH (which, by the way, hasn't even gone into freaking practice yet because of all the delays, and which isn't much different than buying things illegally from dupers in D2) really is a non-issue. You can still, to my knowledge, sell and buy items with in-game gold, so it matters not at all.

As for the other ridiculous complaints people have had (lack of customization of stat points [useless], unlocking skills [saves a hell of a lot of time], etc.), it's really getting draining now...

You're right that game manufacturers should absolutely reassess their business practices, because most gamers are smart enough to see through cheesy gimmicks to the real profit underneath, I will give you credit for that. But I'm sorry, I'm enjoying the game and refuse to let non-issues and streamlined interface keep me from having a good time with a good rpg series.

Let the elitists cry and moan and get refunds. Just less lag on the servers so I can play more.

DuaneDog

The funny part about this is that I stopped even using the regular auction house because it is just too easy to pick up awesome gear from very little money. I have been on hardcore mode and when i go to the auction house it is just ridiculous how powerful an item you can get for the level of your character... for not much gold. Perhaps at max level it is different and you 'need' those items but I can't even imagine paying for an item on the auction house.

If they want a prayer of anything with an auction house they need to go soul bound items so that once you wear something... it is yours period and you can only get scrap value. want to auction something, then you can't use it for five levels and then auction. otherwise i just can't imagine that anyone except those people who HAVE to complete inferno will care about a real money auction house.

japanesegoth

3 Like

everything is already in the regular auction house so why would i pay any real money for anything? and besides...what are you gonna do after you get the item? to me it's like paying someone else to play the game for you. i don't get it...

it's an ok game, but i think blizzard just cares about the auction house.

ardent163

2 Like

Hope this doesn't become a trend in the industry. I liked games when they were just something you did for fun and almost no relation to the real world, other than the fact that they were made by game developers.

Shadow_th

I was wondering one thing, if you can't cash out in D3's RMAH, who has the money for real? It's Blizzard. Once the money is in the system you basically get credits to spent on other items or Bnet things, you don't get real money out of an item sold in the auction house, it's all actiblizz's.

eelnarruc

just watched a youtube of some guy having all his stuff stolen out of his stash and off his avatar while hes playing!

all his own fault i suppose,eh blizzard?

worth every penny,this game! cheers

Astarsis

9 Like

*Blizzard will take $1 from every piece of equipment*

with this Bliizard lost my customership for good. they set the minimum price at 1$

bad enought it got a price in real money instead of simply exchanging game money

anyway, they fired the real diablo II team, so technicaly this isn't even diablo because blizzard north isn't involved, they just stole the trademark and stamped it on THEIR GAME - if you can call it a game. looks more shody than diablo 2 in gameplay (and I missed features from diablo 1 like the books)

and you got to be connected online while you play to let chinese hackers install skywiper on your computer while you play

I just hate what this is turning into. too bad, I was waiting forever for that game. got really excited about the hell vs heaven, then they canned that and started that weird looking world of warcraft clone. This isn't diablo at all

Thank you blizzard for taking my 200$ donation for diablo 2 and using it to fund world of warcraft while never releasing anything for the millions diablo 2 fans who funded your dreams of global gaming domination

ACMC85

@Astarsis Kind of racist to say they are chinese hackers. I'm sure they aren't the only jerks hacking accounts.

jockie_chan

anyways, path of exile is basically a diablo2 type game but it's free and probably has fewer unbalancing microtransactions than diablo3 lol (and it's really fun too).

check it out.

http://www.pathofexile.com/

jockie_chan

a fixed $1 fee for all armors and weapons? i guess noone will be selling anything that isn't extremely rare...

vadagar1

7 Like

I will PASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

ty you very much....

why would I pay real money for items i can get off monsters anyways ??!!! I think the gold auction is all we need, I mean eventually the game gets boring and then what!!!

honestly i would rather spend my cash supporting more game companies (that deserve it)

p2w is such a lame childish concept, people should really revel in challenges rather than take the easy way out.

Rox-pox

6 Like

Blizzard should focus less on auction and more on bugs, latency, balancing certain skills and runes (too many useless runes).

nyran125

6 Like

for the people that love the Auction house and th estreamlined Unlock character system where it stinks of Modern Warfare's kind of unlock and choose your load out system, good for you. BUT for the rest of us, Diablo 3 sucked and titans quest and torchlight own it.

TBear7130

1 Like

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa. Suckers. P2P already.

Shinteikun

6 Like

Blizzard died in my eyes... RIP blizzard for I will never play any game made by you... out of principal... you just continue to be a BlTCHY whore and die! I'll play Dragon's dogma, torchlight 2 and more games to come!

BludshedX

3 Like

@Shinteikun Boy am I with you on this one. How quickly the image of a company can change is amazing, first Ubisoft with their dodgy online DRM which allowed pirates play their games for free whilst those who payed were left in the cold. Then there was EA.. Everyone knows about EA! And now Blizzard. Funny thing is I never expected it to be Blizzard, but there you go!

On a more positive note, add Grim Dawn to that list ;)

XIntoTheBlue

7 Like

Well, I know for certain I will not buy anything from the AH. It is a waste of money, for one, and two, it totally defeats the very fun in playing a Diablo game that's about finding great and fantastic stuff. Not only that, I am generally a fan of hardcore. So why spend money on something I will more likely lose later on?

Additionally, I've played through normal mode and in the middle of Act I Nightmare. The only gear I found was common, magic, and rares. What happened to all the unique and set items I could hope to find in the same difficulty as in D2? Disappointing.

Did I mention I am not a fan of the leveling system? If I play a non-hardcore character, once I make a wizard, barbarian, etc., what is the point of replaying them from the beginning again? It is odd considering Diablo is poised on being "fun" repetitive gameplay. My personal favorite leveling system I've seen in an ARPG is Titan Quest. Shame that developer sunk afterwards.

nyran125

@XIntoTheBlue i agree fully, titan Quest and Torchlight owns Diablo 3. Its got Activisions stink written all over the game. unlock a bunch of sht, choose your load out = diablo 3.

VarietyMage

4 Like

*laughs* Why in the hell would I spend more real money on THIS game? Yeah, I bought it, and I've played it, and it's not the same as D2. In fact, the balance of the items and the cash is completely broken. I don't have to do single-player runs for experience anymore, I have to do them for gold mostly, and occasionally items if my character hasn't got enough magic find to get decent equipment. Blizzard, you managed to break a good game. You'd think over 10 years you could follow one simple rule: If it isn't broke, do NOT fix it. Well, you screwed that up. Now, everyone wants to get +magic find items because the loot drops suck otherwise. And some crazy people are willing to spend real dollars on in-game loot. Well, you won't be getting my money. I've got Dragon's Dogma to play, and other games. Your auction house will be empty soon enough. Enjoy.PS: You really should be working on Diablo 4 right now. You'll need it soon to make up for lost estimated revenues from the auction house. I sincerely hope you weren't figuring that income in your budgeting. Sleep well.

jockie_chan

@VarietyMage "Well, you won't be getting my money".

unfortunately, they just got $60 from you.

artistry

9 Like

Dear Gamespot - how about doing a real news story and reporting on the European servers being down for several days now? I've been unable to play for more than 20 minutes in the past week or so, and not at all since Monday. And I'm not the only one. Please cover the story and get Blizzard to comment and commit to a fix.

Auronvolgar

I rly dont understand any of you, is it so pain in the ass if you not play diablo 3 24h in a row relax take a coffe FGS, they are trying to fix the F issus, I totaly understand blizzard because i think with my brain and not with my addiction on games.......

ACMC85

1 Like

@Auronvolgar YES IT IS a pain. THE game is made to BE ADDICTING. I AM ADDICTED.

artistry

3 Like

@Auronvolgar Yes it's a pain to spend good money on something that you can't then use. Bless them that they are trying to fix the issues. I'm sure a fan of the White Star Line was saying much the same thing to fellow passengers on the Titanic.

Also, I happen to play only two games, fairly infrequently, as a break. I don't like using my breaks to attempt multiple log-ins. Please don't assume.

This is bad service and the problems should have been identified before launch.

cardinalphoenix

1 Like

@artistry You're right that the problems should have been worked out before launch, I can agree there. However, it's only been a month and even experiencing login problems myself early on, I'm already seeing less connection issues. I can't remember the last time I got kicked off randomly because the servers bugged out, and I'm using a laptop that's not state-of-the-art.

BludshedX

8 Like

@artistry or like how the Korean government raided Blizzard's offices and conviscated documents that they are hoping may explain why hundereds of Koreans are fighting for a refund and aren't receiving it?

Or why even with so much issues within the first 2 weeks, why Blizzard has done very little to address the customers/fans/suckers?

You know.. real news?

tyrosxps

1 Like

First Blizzard game to disappoint me.

BludshedX

1 Like

@tyrosxps I thought SC2 was just a rehashed SC and brought very little in terms of gameplay to the table.. So this is my second. Oh wait.. then there were all of the WOW expansions which seemed to mess up the fun of WOW vanilla. This new Blizzard isreally good at messing up a good thing.

RedLegZeff

@BludshedX Actually I think sc2 brought a lot to the table, it was just more subtle then you might have wanted. It was still an rts, no genre reinventing, but it's polish and balance and the depth of the unit variability was strong.

BludshedX

1 Like

@RedLegZeff I thought it was too similar to the first. No major expansion or renivation, just a nicer graphics engine and a few unit tweaks here and there. The introduction of rpg-esk elements into the campaign (selecting upgrades like a skill system between missions) was a nice touch, but also shows that Blizzard is running out of ideas and just mishmashing different elements from different games and genres, not really inventing much new there.

I think Brood wars introduced more to the series than SC2 did, from a single player perspective at least adding more units and extending the campaign. But that's just IMHO, if you think differently I respect that.

alzeer1

1 Like

i alrdy done it and get bored from it like any game of these style

now am waiting trochligh 2

alzeer1

most stupid sick idea ever who would like buy items on real money rely not about money

seem blizzard want be gold seller on other way

Bummer88

2 Like

Update for Europe: Servers are up but can't retrieve the hero list. Another fine evening spent staring at the logging screen.

Lostinthebliss

2 Like

@Bummer88 but the box makes a nice coaster!

Lostinthebliss

1 Like

Unless of course you bought the digital version then I pity da foo.

BludshedX

10 Like

@Lostinthebliss With so many good games out why put yourself through the torment of playing a half assed sequel only when your allowed to. Just because it's new? Hardly warrents the play when there are better games out there, don't you think?

D3's a joke. Gamers know it and review sites know it, they just couldn't say it because they were paid not to.

kb8618

1 Like

Don't worry everyone. Unless commodities come back up by next week, expect another delay.

floydshayvious

2 Like

Is it just cool to hate everything as soon as possible now?

Eraldus

1 Like

@floydshayvious What? So it's wrong to go against something taht will clearly and slowly kill the fun factor of pvp on this game?

If so, then I'm sorry, but I won't change my mind that a RMAH sucks.

cardinalphoenix

@Eraldus People need to treat this, bad as it sounds, like a Zynga Facebook game. You don't NEED to pay single red cent for anything in the game, you just need to work for it...

So you need some special piece of equipment and you don't feel like paying real money for it? Uhh...save up the gold in the battlefield, craft items to sell for more gold, and buy the stuff you need or find it.

Don't use the RMAH if you don't want to, no big deal. Besides, I keep asking this...what's the difference between Blizzard sponsoring their own RMAH, and taking a cut for safety purposes, and making a game that's so difficult, people are driven to ebay and Craiglist to buy equipment from total strangers?

Answer? None.

FoxExecutive

1 Like

@Eraldus Wait, I thought I heard RMAH and Gold are separated, meaning RMAH characters can't interact with gold based auction house. Is that not true? If so I might as well not play PVP. I refuse to use the RMAH.

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