This article is from a Team Liquid post, but it seems legitimate enough so I thought it worth posting here.
Mike Morhaim visited Korea last weekend to discuss more about the current situation with Beta and Real money auction regulations in South Korea.
Quick Synopsis of what he said:
About RMAH in Korea:
- Blizzard is working to their best ability to pass the RMAH system in Korea. However, the Korean administrator is heavily against the RMAH system. The reason is because RMAH system has been tested in many other korean online games but apparently, it created way too many problems to handle.
About Beta
- Mike Morhaim and the online technology director, Rob Bridenbacker told the press that they are not planning to hold the beta outside of NA. Korean press and many of old time Diablo fans have waited long for chance to play the beta, but after this announcement, many were quite dissapointed with how it turned out.
Korean Netizen Reaction on PlayXP:
"They are having some sort of grudge againts us because we didnt buy their sc2"
"Are they mad SC2 didn't sell in Korea?"
"SC2 looked bad and average, and D3 look average too..."
"Blizzard expected too much out of Koreans, everyone played and loved starcraft: Broodwar but look what happend to SC2 sales"
"Look at Mike Morhaim, obviously he looks very mad at the koreans"
"If they can't stop Starcraft 2 Maphack, there is going to be D3 bot?"
"It's their loss if they don't release, we are going to be have their majority of sales"
So it seams like this confirms beta servers will be for NA only and that the RMAH might not come to fruition in Korea.
Is there no Korean who can write a proper sentence?
If you had written that sentence in perfect Korean I'd give you a +1, as is, just sounds kinda racist.
Besides, who cares what the Korean's think about the game? We won't even be playing on the same servers, so whatever they want to do is fine by me. Heck, if no one else wants to play the game, that's fine by me. Less lag on the server!
If you had written that sentence in perfect Korean I'd give you a +1, as is, just sounds kinda racist.
Agreed. Post deleted. Now on to the topic.... what problems did the RMAH system create in Korea? Was it some sort of social problem such as people spending all of their real life savings on in-game items? Does anyone have more details?
If you had written that sentence in perfect Korean I'd give you a +1, as is, just sounds kinda racist.
Besides, who cares what the Korean's think about the game? We won't even be playing on the same servers, so whatever they want to do is fine by me. Heck, if no one else wants to play the game, that's fine by me. Less lag on the server!
Agreed. Post deleted. Now on to the topic.... what problems did the RMAH system create in Korea? Was it some sort of social problem such as people spending all of their real life savings on in-game items? Does anyone have more details?
Good question, I believe the issues were mainly related to legal problems, but that's just a hunch.
Now on to the topic.... what problems did the RMAH system create in Korea? Was it some sort of social problem such as people spending all of their real life savings on in-game items? Does anyone have more details?
My recollection of games in the past is that a lot that involve real money get very caught up there with people buying their way to power. Some games are almost set up exclusively so you have to have a lot of money to be able to play them.
Korea and Japan are also very into a certain type of graphics (I realize this is a generalization), that Diablo 3 does not fit into. Also, as it's been in development for awhile it's not top end graphics, most Japanese and Korean games are absolutely beautiful, but, IMHO, aren't things that typically translate well to the United States. It's just a very different cultural identity there.
I think it's the competition aspect of games that they really like, at least that's been my experience. Diablo 3 may not be competitive enough and since there's no balance for PvP, that could be a real problem for Korea and Japan.
Beta only in NA is what they always said so I don't unterstand which is the problem.
Also, once you have the servers infrastructure configuration ready you just make an image, setup an identical HW and SW structure elsewhere, upload image and just test it shortly since there should be no problem (yeah, sure...)
RMAH is also a troublesome feature since every government has a different approach on the issue and it's not so easy to make everybody happy with it.
@Lucas155: I've given a shot at korean language and it's way different from western languages so it's not so easy to translate. They write comprehensible statements so I can't see the problem, really.
Last I heard, Korea was telling Blizzard that their system is an equivalent to gambling and didn't want it in.
In any case, they are against the idea, and I'm freakin' happy someone is. Sorry Blizzard, guess your precious, ridiculous RMAH actually -won't- just slip by everywhere.
Its also funny how Korea seems to look at SC2 as it should be (an average, unremarkable game) when the entirety of NA seems to be in complete love over it. It tells you some things...
I'd like to add that even if this article is completely true, that it doesn't mean that Europeans are not going to be allowed into the beta - it just means that the servers will not be located in Europe. There are plenty of European members here at Diablofans who already have keys.
Its also funny how Korea seems to look at SC2 as it should be (an average, unremarkable game) when the entirety of NA seems to be in complete love over it. It tells you some things...
I don't want to derail the subject too much, but I don't think the Koreans are a good example of how successful Starcraft 2 was. They're pretty much the only country that rejected the game, and their outlook on the game itself is completely different than most of the world.
Pretty much everyone in Europe seems completely in love with it too. Or, at least those interested in RTSs.
I wouldn't consider SC2 an "average, unremarkable" game at all, but maybe that's because I'm from NA?
Is there no Korean who can write a proper sentence?
If you had written that sentence in perfect Korean I'd give you a +1, as is, just sounds kinda racist.
Besides, who cares what the Korean's think about the game? We won't even be playing on the same servers, so whatever they want to do is fine by me. Heck, if no one else wants to play the game, that's fine by me. Less lag on the server!
Actually since Korea has the 2nd biggest online PC gaming/MMO playerbase(and More MMOs come out of Korea then anywhere else, many of which are high quality(infact most of the best MMOs come from Korea), Blizzard should care.
While D3 Isn't a MMO, they have a reason to be scared of a RMAH as it has been known to ruin such(It's still a online game, and unless implimented in such away, that It's not heavily used until like infernal, it could really screw up the game).
Thankfully in D3, I would think the posting fee will keep people away from posting anything but the best items.
However that's gonna suck when you get to Infernal, becaues 99% of the infernal items in the AH will be for real money only.
Koreans have a very different culture and completely different game tastes. Blizzard just happened to get lucky that Brood War was so popular there. Very few Western games become popular there.
I think Korean government's rejection is probably what others have said, they consider it gambling. They could say the game is only for age 18+ or 21+, but kids can still get access easily at their cafes.
Actually since Korea has the 2nd biggest online PC gaming/MMO playerbase(and More MMOs come out of Korea then anywhere else, many of which are high quality(infact most of the best MMOs come from Korea), Blizzard should care.
Of course they care, lol. They will lose a ton of customers. Problem is, they can't change Korean law, so what can they do.
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"Traitors! Even in death, the armies of Khanduras will still obey their king!"
Actually since Korea has the 2nd biggest online PC gaming/MMO playerbase(and More MMOs come out of Korea then anywhere else, many of which are high quality(infact most of the best MMOs come from Korea), Blizzard should care.
Of course they care, lol. They will lose a ton of customers. Problem is, they can't change Korean law, so what can they do.
Well seeing how D3 Isn't a MMO anyway, would it be that hard to give them their own servers(taking out that feature for them, would be super easy if they have different servers, takes a few seconds, since It's an indipendant system), from my understanding, doesn't Blizzard give each major region their own servers anyway, so I don't see a problem?
Now on to the topic.... what problems did the RMAH system create in Korea? Was it some sort of social problem such as people spending all of their real life savings on in-game items? Does anyone have more details?
My recollection of games in the past is that a lot that involve real money get very caught up there with people buying their way to power. Some games are almost set up exclusively so you have to have a lot of money to be able to play them.
Korea and Japan are also very into a certain type of graphics (I realize this is a generalization), that Diablo 3 does not fit into. Also, as it's been in development for awhile it's not top end graphics, most Japanese and Korean games are absolutely beautiful, but, IMHO, aren't things that typically translate well to the United States. It's just a very different cultural identity there.
I think it's the competition aspect of games that they really like, at least that's been my experience. Diablo 3 may not be competitive enough and since there's no balance for PvP, that could be a real problem for Korea and Japan.
Koreans have a very different culture and completely different game tastes. Blizzard just happened to get lucky that Brood War was so popular there. Very few Western games become popular there.
I think Korean government's rejection is probably what others have said, they consider it gambling. They could say the game is only for age 18+ or 21+, but kids can still get access easily at their cafes.
Wrong, wrong, wrong
I don't even know where to start there are so many things wrong here...
Edit: it's funny watching Westerners speculate on things they only know by internet stereotypes and thoughts they've completely made up
"The reason is because RMAH system has been tested in many other korean online games but apparently, it created way too many problems to handle."
Oh look Blizzard, a preview of what is to come if you keep the RMAH in the game. But of course, that happened in completely different situations, and won't ever happen to Diablo III. Right?
I don't want to derail the subject too much, but I don't think the Koreans are a good example of how successful Starcraft 2 was.
I was not talking about success, which is irrelevant to quality.
Sigh that's so true, I hate it when people say it has X amount of players, so clearly It's good, success doesn't always mean the game is a quality title.
I don't know about SC2 personally, but look at WoW, and every new school era Final Fantasy game for instance, among many other games(these games are very successful, yet quality is out the window sigh).
I don't want to derail the subject too much, but I don't think the Koreans are a good example of how successful Starcraft 2 was.
I was not talking about success, which is irrelevant to quality.
Sigh that's so true, I hate it when people say it has X amount of players, so clearly It's good, success doesn't always mean the game is a quality title.
I don't know about SC2 personally, but look at WoW, and every new school era Final Fantasy game for instance, among many other games(these games are very successful, yet quality is out the window sigh).
And I'd say it's a game's success is directly related to the quality of the game.
To use Final Fantasy as an example: FF XIV Online. Terrible game yields terrible success.
Actually I'd say a games' success is a measure for a game's quality. What else do you have to go by on a large scale? Also I happen to think both wow and sc2 are fantastic games.
"The reason is because RMAH system has been tested in many other korean online games but apparently, it created way too many problems to handle."
Oh look Blizzard, a preview of what is to come if you keep the RMAH in the game. But of course, that happened in completely different situations, and won't ever happen to Diablo III. Right?
I fully expect the RMAH to destroy end game enjoyment(aka inferno, because every item in the AH will be RM only), but with any hope the fees will tone down the amount of RM items that aren't infernal.
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So it seams like this confirms beta servers will be for NA only and that the RMAH might not come to fruition in Korea.
Original source: http://www.playxp.com/news/read.php?news_id=3411523
Those quotes are originally in Korean and translated through some web service (Google Translate).
Edit: Besides, this matters little to people not living in Korea.
If you had written that sentence in perfect Korean I'd give you a +1, as is, just sounds kinda racist.
Besides, who cares what the Korean's think about the game? We won't even be playing on the same servers, so whatever they want to do is fine by me. Heck, if no one else wants to play the game, that's fine by me. Less lag on the server!
Agreed. Post deleted. Now on to the topic.... what problems did the RMAH system create in Korea? Was it some sort of social problem such as people spending all of their real life savings on in-game items? Does anyone have more details?
My recollection of games in the past is that a lot that involve real money get very caught up there with people buying their way to power. Some games are almost set up exclusively so you have to have a lot of money to be able to play them.
Korea and Japan are also very into a certain type of graphics (I realize this is a generalization), that Diablo 3 does not fit into. Also, as it's been in development for awhile it's not top end graphics, most Japanese and Korean games are absolutely beautiful, but, IMHO, aren't things that typically translate well to the United States. It's just a very different cultural identity there.
I think it's the competition aspect of games that they really like, at least that's been my experience. Diablo 3 may not be competitive enough and since there's no balance for PvP, that could be a real problem for Korea and Japan.
My $.02
Also, once you have the servers infrastructure configuration ready you just make an image, setup an identical HW and SW structure elsewhere, upload image and just test it shortly since there should be no problem (yeah, sure...)
RMAH is also a troublesome feature since every government has a different approach on the issue and it's not so easy to make everybody happy with it.
@Lucas155: I've given a shot at korean language and it's way different from western languages so it's not so easy to translate. They write comprehensible statements so I can't see the problem, really.
In any case, they are against the idea, and I'm freakin' happy someone is. Sorry Blizzard, guess your precious, ridiculous RMAH actually -won't- just slip by everywhere.
Its also funny how Korea seems to look at SC2 as it should be (an average, unremarkable game) when the entirety of NA seems to be in complete love over it. It tells you some things...
Pretty much everyone in Europe seems completely in love with it too. Or, at least those interested in RTSs.
I wouldn't consider SC2 an "average, unremarkable" game at all, but maybe that's because I'm from NA?
Actually since Korea has the 2nd biggest online PC gaming/MMO playerbase(and More MMOs come out of Korea then anywhere else, many of which are high quality(infact most of the best MMOs come from Korea), Blizzard should care.
While D3 Isn't a MMO, they have a reason to be scared of a RMAH as it has been known to ruin such(It's still a online game, and unless implimented in such away, that It's not heavily used until like infernal, it could really screw up the game).
Thankfully in D3, I would think the posting fee will keep people away from posting anything but the best items.
However that's gonna suck when you get to Infernal, becaues 99% of the infernal items in the AH will be for real money only.
I think Korean government's rejection is probably what others have said, they consider it gambling. They could say the game is only for age 18+ or 21+, but kids can still get access easily at their cafes.
Of course they care, lol. They will lose a ton of customers. Problem is, they can't change Korean law, so what can they do.
Well seeing how D3 Isn't a MMO anyway, would it be that hard to give them their own servers(taking out that feature for them, would be super easy if they have different servers, takes a few seconds, since It's an indipendant system), from my understanding, doesn't Blizzard give each major region their own servers anyway, so I don't see a problem?
I live in Korea, you're about as wrong as it gets
Wrong, wrong, wrong
I don't even know where to start there are so many things wrong here...
Edit: it's funny watching Westerners speculate on things they only know by internet stereotypes and thoughts they've completely made up
Oh look Blizzard, a preview of what is to come if you keep the RMAH in the game. But of course, that happened in completely different situations, and won't ever happen to Diablo III. Right?
Sigh that's so true, I hate it when people say it has X amount of players, so clearly It's good, success doesn't always mean the game is a quality title.
I don't know about SC2 personally, but look at WoW, and every new school era Final Fantasy game for instance, among many other games(these games are very successful, yet quality is out the window sigh).
To use Final Fantasy as an example: FF XIV Online. Terrible game yields terrible success.
Actually I'd say a games' success is a measure for a game's quality. What else do you have to go by on a large scale? Also I happen to think both wow and sc2 are fantastic games.
I fully expect the RMAH to destroy end game enjoyment(aka inferno, because every item in the AH will be RM only), but with any hope the fees will tone down the amount of RM items that aren't infernal.