The Hammer Falls: Diablo III Auction House Closes
Shut it down forever
Kumquat-complexioned entrepreneur David Dickinson shoulders you aside as he storms the corridors of the Diablo III Auction House. "How can they shut it all down?" He barks, beads of butter springing from his forehead where only sweat would be visible on a lesser man. "Where will I be able to offload this Wicker Chair of +7 Discomfort and Old Tin Soldier of +2 Melancholy Reflections About The Interwar Years?" The items in question are firmly secured in his gargantuan trouser pocket.
"Well, Sir Dickinson." You begin, struggling to keep pace with his powerful stride. Dickinson hasn't been formally knighted by the monarch but the 'Sir' is fitting - the silver gavel of a higher power still has often caressed the lint from his shoulders behind the carved doors of certain secret chambers. "Nothing will be lost, at least not yet."
He turns to you, actual bolts of lightning sparking across the damp crevices of his brow. "Explain. And then show me a very noisy trailer for Reaper of Souls."
"Active auctions will expire as normal and items/gold will pass to the high bidder or return to the seller, landed in the Completed tab. From there, they can be claimed at any point up to June 24th, when they 'will be consumed by Treasure Goblins, never to be seen again.'" You pause, out of breath.
"I knew there'd be goblins involved." Quoth Dickinson, pulling a battleaxe from beneath his lapel. "Let's get to work."
Ding dong, the house has closed.
Reaper Of Souls production director John Hight explains:
It became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the Auction House system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core gameplay: kill monsters to get cool loot.
To learn more about the decision, you'd be wise to consult Nathan's interview with the soul reapers.
And now that the Auction House has closed, that's precisely what Dickinson will be doing. Killing monsters to get cool loot. May the gods help us all.
The killing of monsters in order to get cool loot is demonstrated by this over-excited trailer for the Reaper Of Souls expansion, which lands any day now and aims to redress more gripes about the base game.