'The item-based nature of Diablo game play has always lent itself to an active trade-based ecosystem, and a significant part of this trade has been conducted through unsecure third-party organisations.' But not at the expense of the customers - but because we've offered them something that was worth their money.'īlizzard further explained its motivations in an official statement, citing player behaviour and security. 'If we make money on it that's great, we're a business, we want to make money. 'Certainly there's an economic element to the auction house for us, but it came first and foremost as: what do we want to do for the players? What service can we possibly offer that would make the game experience better?' Wilson denied that this was the main motivation behind the decision. Players will also be charged a fee for withdrawing sales proceeds from their account. When selling, players can use the money they earn to purchase other other Diablo III items through the auction house, purchase products, such as World Of Warcraft subscriptions, or claim the cash through third party services.įor each item sold for real currency players will be charged an unspecified 'nominal fixed transaction fee' by Blizzard, which will vary by region and whether or not the item sold. We wanted to focus on filling that hole.' And yet there was no trading mechanism to speak of. 'Trading is the way you get the best items in Diablo. 'Trading is not very good in Diablo, and yet it's a game about trading,' explained Wilson. Blizzard will not sell 'game play affecting' items, and stated it has no plans to post items directly to the auction house, leaving trading to the players. Players can purchase gold, weapons, armour and runestones via their registered accounts. 'It was definitely a design decision,' the game's lead designer Jay Wilson told Eurogamer. Gold based auction houses will be available for players who don't wish to spend their money in-game. The service will be on an item by item basis via an eBay style auction house system and entirely optional. MMO Diablo III will offer players the chance to use real world currency to trade game items.

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