A law in South Korea may delay Diablo III's South Korean release - it might even be banned entirely.
By now, word has spread across the Internet about the auction house in Blizzard's much anticipated Diablo III. It will be possible for players to buy and sell in-game items for real-world money, and a percentage of every sale goes directly to Blizzard. Since real-world money is entering the equation, the South Korean government has raised the question: Does this constitute gambling?
"We've heard speculation comparing item trading... to some form of gambling, but in gambling you're putting something at risk to win," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard CEO. "(In Diablo III), you're not risking anything. You're just investing your time. It is an important distinction."
Gambling is strictly outlawed in South Korea, and if the government rules against Diablo III, the game will be denied a rating, essentially banning it. Needless to say, banning a popular MMO in South Korea would be a huge blow to Blizzard's wallet.
Another MMO named Emperor Online was already denied rating for having a feature similar to Diablo III's auction hosue.
The obvious thing for Blizzard to do in response would be to take out the real money transfer portion of the auction house (there is an in-game currency version too) and try again, but that would still be to Blizzard's displeasure, since it would cut out the cash from South Korean trades.
Blizzard has vehemently denounced the selling of in-game items for real-world money in the past, and for two reasons: The third-party sites conducting the trades were often fraudulent or malicious, and other people were getting paid for things Blizzard created. The real money transfer auction house aims to control the trading environment, providing a safe place for players to buy items and characters (which they would probably do anyway), while making some extra money in the process.
If the South Korean government classifies this as gambling, gamers there can expect Diablo III's release to be delayed at the least. But hey, they've already been waiting 11 years, what's another couple months?
By now, word has spread across the Internet about the auction house in Blizzard's much anticipated Diablo III. It will be possible for players to buy and sell in-game items for real-world money, and a percentage of every sale goes directly to Blizzard. Since real-world money is entering the equation, the South Korean government has raised the question: Does this constitute gambling?
"We've heard speculation comparing item trading... to some form of gambling, but in gambling you're putting something at risk to win," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard CEO. "(In Diablo III), you're not risking anything. You're just investing your time. It is an important distinction."
Gambling is strictly outlawed in South Korea, and if the government rules against Diablo III, the game will be denied a rating, essentially banning it. Needless to say, banning a popular MMO in South Korea would be a huge blow to Blizzard's wallet.Another MMO named Emperor Online was already denied rating for having a feature similar to Diablo III's auction hosue.
The obvious thing for Blizzard to do in response would be to take out the real money transfer portion of the auction house (there is an in-game currency version too) and try again, but that would still be to Blizzard's displeasure, since it would cut out the cash from South Korean trades.
Blizzard has vehemently denounced the selling of in-game items for real-world money in the past, and for two reasons: The third-party sites conducting the trades were often fraudulent or malicious, and other people were getting paid for things Blizzard created. The real money transfer auction house aims to control the trading environment, providing a safe place for players to buy items and characters (which they would probably do anyway), while making some extra money in the process.
If the South Korean government classifies this as gambling, gamers there can expect Diablo III's release to be delayed at the least. But hey, they've already been waiting 11 years, what's another couple months?
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