NEWS
Diablo III Must Be Played Online, Cash Auctions Added, No Mods
New info on Diablo III has caused some outrage amongst the community, as Blizzard say no to mods and enforce online play only, due to a new auction house that uses real currency.
So, you're a big Diablo fan, right? You have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of Blizzard's highly successful action RPG series, even excusing the many delays. But now we bring you some rather gruesome news - those delays seem to have been in favour of dampening your experience and mining players for their cash.
It has now been revealed that the game will contain an auction house in which players can buy and sell in-game items for real money, as well as the in-game currency of course. Blizzard will not be adding any items to the listings so that it consists of just the items that players have found throughout their journeys. But get this: Blizzard will charge a "nominal" listing fee and will take a small cut when the item is sold as well. Not to draw any conclusions here, but let's not forget that Blizzard merged with Activision since the release of Diablo II. We're not suggesting anything of course (wink).
Now for the other shocker, Diablo III will require players to be online to play. Not that this is too much of a problem for modern gamers, but hey, give us a reason to complain and we will, right? Anyway, Blizzard have rectified this by noting that with real money on the line, this is the only way they can ensure that no one is cheating and therefore exploiting the system for quick and easy dosh. Fair enough. The consequences of this could see a spread in the popularity of online-only play, after all, it does mean that they also have a hold over piracy due to the requirement for a permanent internet connection. Watch this space.
Lastly, and this one will hit you right in the gut, Blizzard have had to prohibit any modding for Diablo III. The reasons are once again for the potential exploitation of the auction house. This is a real shame, especially as previous Blizzard games have a fantastic modding community that have actually gone on to create entire new franchises.
So there you have it. The addition of an auction house so that Blizzard can no doubt generate a steady income from players using it, means that the game suffers drawbacks in other places. Activision Blizzard will more than likely set a trend here. Unfortunately.
Via PC Gamer