'Diablo 3' To Get Microtransactions, Won't Apply To Western Territories

After the recent deluge of leaked information on the upcoming "Diablo 3" patch 2.2.0, Blizzard has preemptively revealed a potentially controversial detail that would eventually be discovered by players. According to the action RPG maker, the patch will add microtranactions to the game.

However, the real reason behind the preemptive warning happens to be the company's reassurance that the change will only applicable to Asian territories. In other words, the European and American territories will be spared of microtransactions. This is the case, at least for the time being, according to Gamespot. Blizzard has evidently made the decision public before eager gamers dig the information out from the patch files when the game goes live on public testing servers in the near future.

"We recognise that many players have expressed an interest in microtransactions being added to Diablo 3," said "Diablo" community manager Brandy "Nevalists" Camel through Blizzard's official post on the issue at Battle.net. "While we may explore this model in some regions, we have no immediate plans to implement such purchases anytime soon for the Americas (nor European) region."

The following specific updates will not apply to gamers in the American and European regions:

• A new currency called "Platinum"
• Timed experience boosts
• New cosmetic items including wings, non-combat pets, and character portraits
• References to stash space and character slot expansions
• A new UI interface that references the above information

Going by the information revealed on the forum post, it's clear that the microtransaction will be rolled out through a new currency dubbed Platinum, which Blizzard states would only be available in the Asian servers. It's clear that Asian users will have the ability to pay for cosmetic items such as wings, pets that can't be used in battle and the ability to hoard more items through character slot and stash expansion.

Still, prima facie, it reportedly doesn't seem that these paid bonuses could greatly tip the scales against those who opt out of microtranscations. Although timed experience boosts might not have immediate consequences, it could still help paying gamers out in the long run.

Blizzard's decision to spare American and European gamers of the microtransaction business doesn't come across as a huge surprise. As Kotaku points out, Blizzard had to shut down the Real Money Auction House of "Diablo 3," which allowed players to buy and sell in-game items for real money.

This move garnered criticism for the company from Western territories, which saw the system as a pay-to-win culture that negatively affects gameplay and competitiveness. Apparently, Asian markets seem to be more forgiving — or, conversely, less vocal about their discontent — regarding microtransactions.

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Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Opening Cinematic (credit: Diablo YouTube channel)