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.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013The alternative for trading is terrible
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Posted Sep 17, 2013Plus with loot 2.0 immensely larger item diversity it would seem an AH would be more desired to obtain that special item you always wanted
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Posted Sep 17, 2013-
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Posted Sep 17, 2013Damnit Blizzard, stop being so awesome!
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Posted Sep 17, 2013-
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Posted Sep 17, 2013D3 is a suppose to be a dungeon crawler, not a day in the farm harvesting apples and selling then in the local store for oranges.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013I am not a AH Tycoon by any means, didnt really bother...but i think they should at least keep some basic Stuff...
Like buying/selling Reagents, Gems, Recipes, Dyes for Gold... and perhaps a RMAH Gold market.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013Just FYI: long before Josh became game director, Jay Wilson admitted in an interview that the AH was the biggest mistake ever made and if they could, they would take it back (he wasn't game director anymore at the time).
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Posted Sep 17, 2013This will probably "help" the online black market being once again the best way to go for the best items, but the thing is, back in Diablo 2, it was a very thin minority that used d2jsp unlike the AH on Diablo 3.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013I just feel like they are trying to demphasize trading items in a game they repeatedly say is about acquiring better items. Whether you brought that item with gold/money or got it to drop yourself shouldn't make a difference. The big issue is item rarity and average quality. Shutting down the ahs also puts the value of gold onto shaky ground I think gold/money did a good job of being a currency in d3; sure the prices got out of whack but it was still used in pretty much all trading.
Maybe they are working on some other kind of trading system so that you can still easily buy and sell things like gems, dyes, recipes, crafting mats. tomes, and maybe even some armors for transmog purposes. Because it would really suck getting enough of those things without some system that makes it quick and easy. They can't seriously go back to chat spam and think that's acceptable, but I'll wait and see.
okay that went all over the place, but I'm done now.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013While that is true, I think Blizzard found that the bots were trimming their margins so much that it wasn't worth the hassle anymore dealing with real money. They have to pay the CS and other fees. There's a lot of stuff they have to pay for just to let us buy and sell items for real money. So while it is indeed for the best of the game, it probably was not the only reason. They may have actually been losing money just to keep the RMAH.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013Sadly before launch I didn't think much of the AH, thought it was alright to implement it. Since launch I've realized that it was not worth it, not at all. It's just not in the spirits of a loot hunting game to have such a thing. That said, I hope they do implement a decent trading system at least, for those interested, off course. As for me, I'll be playing with my friends, swapping gear around and having a good time.
Question though, since there are a few things that cost into the high millions, how is anyone supposed to make that? I thought it was that high to force players into using the AH, but since its leaving, how will players hoard that amount of gold?
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Posted Sep 17, 2013On the other hand, The AH-barons really, really ruined the game and it was the "correct" way to gear up, which really sucked.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013I don't care about AH barons, the annoyance of trading, bots, spam, and whatever. But the AH made loot too easily accessible and whenever you found an item, it was just a question whether or not it's worth enough to put it up on the AH. It wasn't about "does this item improve my character" but "does this item yield some gold on the AH such that I can buy another upgrade".
There will be AH alternatives, many of them. But there will never ever be a system again that is so easy and "in your face" like the AH right now. And that is good.
Remember that they'll increase the legendary drop rate by a factor of 6. With the AH in place, everyone would have access to every "game-changing" legendary item immediately.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013Josh Mosquera has just lost 95 points on my respect scale. Pity, he was looking much more promising than Jay Wilson.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013No worries, he earned over 9000 points on my respect scale.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013Yes, people bartering with gems and buying their stuff on Chinese third party sites will be soooooo much fun. /sarcasm
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Posted Sep 17, 2013And making more stuff (e.g. legendaries) BoA wouldn't be enough? Doubt it, frankly.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013So, BOA destroys trading but bartering and 3rd party sites don't? I don't follow your logic.
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Posted Sep 17, 2013It also makes the transmog system more rewarding since you will in fact need to find the items to store the skin to yr account rather than running to the ah and grabbing the cheapest one to use.
The only thing I am scared of is farming gems o.o Lol
Kudos Blizzard. I am VERY impressed with how the game has changed. Thanks!