Both Diablo 3 Auction Houses are shutting down. Details below.
Originally Posted by Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
(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.
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.
Auction House Shutting Down FAQ
Originally Posted by Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
(Q. Why is the auction house system being removed from Diablo III?
The gold and real-money auction houses have provided a convenient and secure system for trading, but it's also become increasingly clear that despite the benefits they provide, they ultimately undermine Diablo’s core gameplay. A big part of Diablo is the thrill of battling demons and finding epic loot. While buying epic loot in the auction houses might be more convenient, it doesn't feel anywhere near as heroic as plowing through a pack of fearsome-looking monsters and having them drop that one awesome item that seems like it was made for your character.
Q. Will this change affect both the gold and real-money auction house?
Yes. We will be shutting down both the gold and the real-money auction houses.
Q. When will the gold and real-money auction houses be removed from the game?
The gold and real-money auction houses will be shut down on Tuesday, March 18, 2014.
Q. Are the gold and real-money auction houses shutting down at the same time?
Yes. The gold and real-money auction houses will be shut down at the same time.
Q. Are the gold and real-money auction houses being removed for all gameplay regions?
Yes. The gold and real-money auction houses are being removed for all gameplay regions.
Q. Why aren’t the auction houses being removed sooner?
Since the gold and real-money auction houses receive a regular amount of daily activity, we wanted to inform everyone of this upcoming change as soon as we made the decision and give as much advance notice as soon as possible. Also, removing the auction houses from the game is no small endeavor, and there are many technical and gameplay-related questions we still need to answer before this change is implemented.
Q. Are there any plans to add the gold and real-money auction houses back into the game in the future?
No. We have no plans at this time to add either the gold or real-money auction house back into the game after they are removed.
Q. How will the removal of the gold and real-money auction houses work from a technical perspective (for example: What will happen to posted auctions, items or currency in the Completed tab, Battle.net Balance, etc.)?
We’re still working out all the details regarding how the auction houses will be shut down. We know these details are important, and we want to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly for everyone. We will be keeping everyone informed as we work through this process.
Q. How will I be able to trade with other players once the gold and real-money auction houses are shut down?
Once the gold and real-money auction houses have been shut down, players will still be able to trade with one another using the in-game Trade Window.
Q. How will the removal of the gold and real-money auction house affects changes planned for itemization in Reaper of Souls, specifically “Loot 2.0”?
One of the main goals behind Loot 2.0, which is being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls, is to make playing the game the most rewarding path to getting items. That goal has not changed with this decision, and in fact was one of the big inspirations behind the removal of the auction houses. We’re still moving forward with all the changes previously revealed as part of Loot 2.0, but we’re also looking at additional improvements we can make that will help ensure that the loot hunt and trading experience in Diablo III is as satisfying as possible.
The gold and real-money auction houses have provided a convenient and secure system for trading, but it's also become increasingly clear that despite the benefits they provide, they ultimately undermine Diablo’s core gameplay. A big part of Diablo is the thrill of battling demons and finding epic loot. While buying epic loot in the auction houses might be more convenient, it doesn't feel anywhere near as heroic as plowing through a pack of fearsome-looking monsters and having them drop that one awesome item that seems like it was made for your character.
Q. Will this change affect both the gold and real-money auction house?
Yes. We will be shutting down both the gold and the real-money auction houses.
Q. When will the gold and real-money auction houses be removed from the game?
The gold and real-money auction houses will be shut down on Tuesday, March 18, 2014.
Q. Are the gold and real-money auction houses shutting down at the same time?
Yes. The gold and real-money auction houses will be shut down at the same time.
Q. Are the gold and real-money auction houses being removed for all gameplay regions?
Yes. The gold and real-money auction houses are being removed for all gameplay regions.
Q. Why aren’t the auction houses being removed sooner?
Since the gold and real-money auction houses receive a regular amount of daily activity, we wanted to inform everyone of this upcoming change as soon as we made the decision and give as much advance notice as soon as possible. Also, removing the auction houses from the game is no small endeavor, and there are many technical and gameplay-related questions we still need to answer before this change is implemented.
Q. Are there any plans to add the gold and real-money auction houses back into the game in the future?
No. We have no plans at this time to add either the gold or real-money auction house back into the game after they are removed.
Q. How will the removal of the gold and real-money auction houses work from a technical perspective (for example: What will happen to posted auctions, items or currency in the Completed tab, Battle.net Balance, etc.)?
We’re still working out all the details regarding how the auction houses will be shut down. We know these details are important, and we want to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly for everyone. We will be keeping everyone informed as we work through this process.
Q. How will I be able to trade with other players once the gold and real-money auction houses are shut down?
Once the gold and real-money auction houses have been shut down, players will still be able to trade with one another using the in-game Trade Window.
Q. How will the removal of the gold and real-money auction house affects changes planned for itemization in Reaper of Souls, specifically “Loot 2.0”?
One of the main goals behind Loot 2.0, which is being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls, is to make playing the game the most rewarding path to getting items. That goal has not changed with this decision, and in fact was one of the big inspirations behind the removal of the auction houses. We’re still moving forward with all the changes previously revealed as part of Loot 2.0, but we’re also looking at additional improvements we can make that will help ensure that the loot hunt and trading experience in Diablo III is as satisfying as possible.
In the future, self found will be a lot more viable and if people want to trade, they can do it in the old fashion way.
AAAAAAND now, let's see the gold value crash on the RMAH from all players cashing out.... this is so fun XD
Yeah, my friends! It's just that I happen to have thousands and thousands of friends, and for some reason, we all have forum gold...
Oh sorry - trading with friends was always included in my broad definition of self-found ;-) Like in D2, we always had matching characters so that someone could always make use of an item, but we never engaged in public trading. So all this upcoming QQ about the uprising of bots and trade channel spam... couldn't care less
Man, this is so awesome. I haven't been that excited since the day D3 was announced.
Hopefully they'll increase the vendor prices of items, with white items being salvaged for components now they might slam a higher monetary value onto everything for the vendor. We'll see.
I will be stockpiling gold as well though. =)
With the announcement of the AH shutting down, you have 30 days from this day to get a refund for Diablo 3. Once you click the Accept button on the agreement, you cannot get the refund.
Wouldn't go too far with that. Only thing significant is that we are months exactly from this happening.
9-17-2013 -> 3-18 2014
Not saying this is going to happen, but what if they did a complete reset with RoS. Meaning a new ladder season at the start of the expansion. It would be the only way to give D3 a complete fresh start. So all that gold would be non-ladder, which isn't a bad thing, but everyone knows ladder is where it is at.
My
Fucking
God
I wanna see the face of the fanboys that defended that aberration with tooth and nails during the game's development and because of their horrible feedback D3 were not even 50% of what it should be. Hope you're proud of the consequences of your sheep behavior.
Well we can guess at what might happen, but I can tell you what will happen. You won't be able to buy gold anymore (except 3rd party), you won't be able to sell an item for millions of gold easily (3rd party isn't easy), and they have already said that enchantments will have a significant cost associated with them.
This also means, craft materials such as tomes of secret will be much harder to come by. Stockpile now if you don't want to be surprised.
As for the AH announcement, wow... I did not expect that coming, but im not sure about shutting down both the GAH and the RMAH, I understand the big debate about it, but we need something to replace it maybe a Barter house rather than going back to the old D2 system.
This is my biggest problem. I don't want to chat, no matter how fancy the interface is, to buy and sell stuff. I want to post an item, and then go and kill more monsters. The AH in and of itself wasn't a problem; the items, item systems, brutal randomization, no sinks, no binding, no variety of item affixes, etc., were the problem. The only direct negative consequence were the bad drop rates, drop rates that existed in D2, w/o an official AH in it.
Basically, they made a sandwich w/ a bunch of rotten deli meats and spoiled mayo, and decided to throw out the bread. Now you've got meat and cheese and mustard all over your hands, so you have to take a bunch of time cleaning up instead of actually eating your sandwich.
Valid point. Better safe than sorry.
Exactly this. The millions of casuals playing the game will be happy not caring about item values but we who play for good items will have to go to third party sites and buy for gold/money so it will be the same thing but involve a lot more work. GREAT. They better add a good trading system.
With the AH out of the picture an offline mode seems very plausible!