Diablo III: Purchase In-Game Items With Real Money
See Full ImageThere's nothing new about buying and selling items in role-playing games. Hell, it's a staple of the genre.
But when we enter the realm of real honest-to-goodness money, the whole complexion of the buying and selling changes. Blizzard Entertainment has revealed its Battle.net service, which features cool stuff like friends lists, cross-game chat, full matchmaking services, etc. But as Joystiq elaborated upon, we'll also get an auction system.
For use in Diablo III, players will be able to spend real money on in-game items. Players will actually buy items from each other; you can try to sell stuff you don't want and buy other stuff you need...all with real dollars that reside in your real wallet. For the service, Blizzard will take "fixed fees" and although we don't have any pricing details just yet, they said these fees would be "nominal." Any money you earn can be kept in your Battle.net account for spending on Blizzard products and services.
Vice President of game design Rob Pardo talked about this idea (click the link above for more) and explained:
"Ultimately, players want it. If Blizzard doesn't do this system, I'm not so naive to think that it's not going to happen. In the past we've really taken this hardline stance of, we will just try to stamp it down in every place that we can. And we could take that approach. But I actually think that with Diablo, it actually will end up being a good thing, at least something that players will be excited about. It really is something that a lot of players are already looking to do."
He's referring to Diablo II players unofficially buying and selling in-game items, by the way. So if the hardcore would do it before, why wouldn't they do it again? Might as well have the publisher sanction it, right?
Related Game(s): Diablo III
Tags: diablo iii, blizzard, diablo iii ps3
8/1/2011 10:01:17 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (58 posts)
maxpontiac
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:23:52 AM
No need to have such an elitist attitude!
13 up, 6 down
Ultimadream
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:37:53 AM
13 up, 8 down
maxpontiac
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:44:49 AM
Take note that this isn't some evil corporate scheme that take money from it's oh-so-gullible clientele. It's a feature that the players (IE customers) desire.
11 up, 3 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:15:16 AM
9 up, 1 down
TheOldOne
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 12:23:10 PM
A good dlc now and then its good if the price is fair (and it was not taken out of the game to be sold separatedly). But having cheats from day 1 like power ups, all best weapons unlocked, and anything else that affects the balance of players, I'm against it.
6 up, 4 down
maxpontiac
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 12:53:53 PM
Invalid? How? It's an option for people who either do not have the time or the desire to invest the time required. Plus, it's going to be done anyways regardless of Blizzards involvement.
TheOldOne -
You have to hand it Blizzard though. EA does it with Madden, NCAA and some of the NFS titles. It's a model that seems to work. I don't blame them one bit.
4 up, 3 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 1:27:41 PM
ETA: If you actually read my comments then you will realise I said the exact same thing you just did.
Last edited by coverton341 on 8/1/2011 1:28:11 PM
4 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:12:30 PM
4 up, 0 down
NiteKrawler
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:38:24 PM
Will it mean that beginning players with money will have an advantage over other new players without money? Yes. But it happens anyway. And I'm sure it will happen still by players who want to avoid these little fees Blizzard wants to impose on others.
Personally, I will not use my own money to buy these items, but I will definitely be into selling items I don't need to earn a bit of money. There is just one thing I'm confused on. Does the money you make HAVE to stay in your Battle.net account, or can you take it out and use it on, say, groceries?
0 up, 0 down
bigrailer19
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 5:15:33 PM
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 8/1/2011 5:16:32 PM
0 up, 0 down
aaronisbla
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:27:25 PM
Why pay for a character thats leveled up and included with good gear? because people were so into pvp, and often it was a drag to level up a new character just for pvp, and in some cases that character would turn out to be a bust for pvp.
I use to level up characters for a clan i was in, the clan leader would then sell them on some of the sites. In return, id get paid in high runes ( the currency players valued on diablo 2 and the expansion, lord of destruction ) or extremely rare items, since the actually currency on the game is as valuable as dirt. Actually built quite a collection
With the inclusion of this, i can only assume there is gonna be loot extremely rare, like Diablo 2.
Last edited by aaronisbla on 8/1/2011 10:29:13 PM
0 up, 0 down
Chelsea United
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:54:06 PM
0 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:22:48 AM
Reply
5 up, 3 down
Geobaldi
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:26:42 AM
Reply
5 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:40:33 AM
Reply
People go nuts doing this sort of thing in WoW.
Like the Blizzard dude pointed out, they worked hard trying to stamp out all ofthis activity. It would seem that just can't be done.
I, for one, will pay publishers to BUY the game. I get all the weapons at that point. I just have to actually play the game to get them =p
Last edited by Temjin001 on 8/1/2011 10:41:17 AM
0 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:57:27 AM
Reply
7 up, 0 down
Stabs88
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:23:00 PM
I've been waiting for DIII since...god 8 years ago?? Im not into the whole "let me spend my hard earned money on these shiny items that make me cool in game" Im about the..."oh dang, rare items i can sell and make some cash!" Guess its all in how you look at it.
0 up, 2 down
Clamedeus
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 8:44:33 PM
I believe it was in the 90k's if I remember correctly.
Indeed, we already know about what happened to Sony. Of course, no one is saying anything can't be hacked it can be, Biker is just saying this could tempt the hackers to strike again.
I also agree with Biker, it could possibly tempt them.
2 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:00:26 AM
1 up, 2 down
Eld
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:50:15 AM
I value both story and gameplay, but it's unlikely I will play this game so it doesn't affect me directly. If you will, by all means, have fun. It seems to me, however, this is the kind of stuff that affects gameplay, so maybe some other people have reasons to be concerned about.
0 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 1:07:52 PM
Anytime I put this =p
It should be taken as sarcasm or a jovial remark
2 up, 0 down
aaronisbla
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:31:14 PM
2 up, 1 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:12:43 AM
Reply
For the people saying, and that will inevitably say that Blizzard are ripping people off buy selling items that should have come standard with the game, they are doing no such thing. What they are doing is setting up a market for LAZY people who don't want to go out and find these items. This is a player to player type of market that people trade on with real money, again something that has been happening for years.
Example: I play the game and do specific runs for one certain item (let's just say an SOJ, which is super rare) and accumulate a large amount, then I go and sell it to lazy people or people with no time to do runs that still want the item. It's that simple.
The big problem is when people start running bots to farm these items to in turn sell and make a profit off of them.
1 up, 1 down
JackieBoy
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:55:28 AM
But given the fact that Blizz will officialy support that, I don't think they will allow for bots farming. Personally I think buying items for real money is hopeless. It destroys what's best in games like these - satisfaction of finding items by yourself.
I just so cannot wait for this game. Every of their title was a masterpiece, polished to the very limit. I just hope my laptop will be able to run it...
5 up, 0 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 1:31:10 PM
I was kind of thinking the same thing. Since Blizzard will be supporting this they may be able to keep a better handle on duped items, farming, and the like. It will be interesting to see how this affects third party sites selling items and full builds, and especially the effect this has on pricing.
I personally don't buy items through this kind of thing but I know a few people who recently got back into Diablo II that built full characters just to not have to invest the time they did back in the day.
0 up, 0 down
JRA696
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:40:15 AM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:50:35 AM
ETA: if you are worried about not getting yours back because you will lose your data, it doesn't matter. You will lose your data anyway even if you receive the exact same unit back because everything gets reset and wiped. Sorry.
Last edited by coverton341 on 8/1/2011 11:51:43 AM
4 up, 0 down
Lotusflow3r
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 4:05:44 PM
I replaced mine 4 months ago, the replaced one broke 1 month ago, 2 days out of their 3 month warranty. They are lenient, so they let me off and sent me another one for free....it's still working.
I lost a lot of data...twice.
Back up your data on a Sandisk or cloud file it often. I do it eveytime i finish a gaming session now.
Keep it cool and dust the vents a lot. 60gigs get a lot hotter than later models.
Also, remove discs when not playing! I had lbp2 in my 1st broke machine, didn't get it back for 6 weeks, and i'm still waiting for my DVD that got stuck in my last one.
Such a stressful event.
My Dualshock 3 broke a week ago too lol. That was my fault, i dropped it a lot.
1 up, 0 down
Fane1024
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 7:46:41 PM
Both times, it was reset to factory settings and would not allow a Restore from my Backup, so you will almost certainly lose any data currently on it.
0 up, 0 down
JRA696
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:21:13 PM
0 up, 0 down
Bloodysilence19
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 11:47:38 AM
Reply
1 up, 1 down
Stabs88
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:26:15 PM
0 up, 0 down
Geobaldi
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 9:18:39 PM
0 up, 0 down
Slime
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 1:45:22 PM
Reply
This is less of a rip off than say having to buy dlc to get a storage chest !
OMG people with the most money will have the best itemz !!!!111one ... erm yes that has always been the case if you wanted to pay for items in a game where you trade, this just makes it less dangerous so more people mght do it now than before.
2 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:21:29 PM
Reply
Hey does this mean D3 will be coming to PS3?
0 up, 0 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 3:52:20 PM
0 up, 0 down
Geobaldi
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 9:21:10 PM
Yes you could. And still can.
0 up, 0 down
Claire C
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:22:13 PM
Reply
2 up, 0 down
coverton341
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 3:51:09 PM
Shameful.
0 up, 0 down
Geobaldi
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 8:57:42 PM
0 up, 0 down
Stabs88
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:29:24 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:33:22 PM
Reply
Real world trading of ingame items (and ingame cash) has been around for at least as long as I have played MMORPGs, probably since the dawn of mmorpgs. And one of the huge problems were cheating sellers. As a player you simply have to trust the player transferring to you what you paid for. And needless to say, people get cheated. ALL the time.
With an implemented system like this, where it looks like Blizzard will operate much like the online poker sites and charge just a tiny fraction of each table/transaction it is all becoming more secure for the players.
This *is* what mmorpg players want and it is good that they get it. I applaud this with no reservations.
Last edited by Beamboom on 8/1/2011 2:36:20 PM
4 up, 2 down
Slime
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 3:14:48 PM
Reply
Its up to the players to decide what they want to do, just because you can buy for real money doesnt mean everyone will.
I wish blizzard the best of luck with this as another source of revenue outside of subscriptions / free to play.
Although It probably won't be long before we get a headline in the papers ... BOY AGE 9 RUNS UP £5000 CREDIT CARD DEBT PLAYING DIABLO 3!
We all know its gonna happen lol :)
3 up, 0 down
___________
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 @ 3:51:45 AM
Reply
bigger news on diablo 3 is its going to be another one of those constant connection games!
oh boy blizzard are really going to cop the sh*t now!
this is just ridiculous, what happens if the servers go down?
what happens if we get another rouge hacker and takes the games servers down for several months.
then does that mean ill be getting a refund because i bought a game i cant play?
nope, sorry blizzard you just lost a sale!
0 up, 2 down
Beamboom
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 @ 3:06:46 AM
Last edited by Beamboom on 8/3/2011 3:08:23 AM
0 up, 0 down
Slime
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 @ 3:50:54 PM
Reply
And its not just blizzard being greedy (maybe) :) Lots of other games / publishing companys are all trying to come up with different ways of getting your cash.
Such as online passes , annual instalments , DLC , DLC etc
But I think if blizzard get it right this pay for items could very well work out at least they won't have to close down servers like EA does with some of there annual sports games?
Even upto recently if blizzard had said for a minimal fee I could buy lots more space on my diablo 2 account and have a shared stash, but I had to pay because to offer the extra space they would have to put it on new servers then I probably would have if the price / storage ratio was worth it.
Paying for digital items Ultimadream is not pathetic I see no difference between a digital item and a real item because wanting is wanting and if your willing to pay then you pay, I once saw (memory a bit fuzzy) - I think it was a milk or gravy boat sell for something like 41,000 pounds on a auction programme ?? I wouldnt have paid a tenner for it :P
But I do disagree strongly with blizzard on the having to be online all the time to play the single player version only :(
Last edited by Slime on 8/2/2011 3:57:06 PM
0 up, 0 down
tankei
Thursday, August 04, 2011 @ 9:24:47 PM
Reply
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0 up, 0 down
SS4
Saturday, August 06, 2011 @ 4:32:12 PM
Reply
Anyways i think i will buy D3 now so i can make some money playing while selling items to player lol
0 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Reply
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 10:22:00 AM
Last edited by Ultimadream on 8/1/2011 10:22:56 AM