According to early information about The Market, it’s being designed so that Diablo Immortal players will be able to use real money to buy in-game items for the ARPG. However, it won’t be used to sell gear, so much as gear augments and other items. Specifically, Diablo Immortal says that players will be able to buy and sell materials, supplementary items, and Legendary Gems. It isn’t made clear how much these items will be able to influence a player’s power, but the implication is that it will affect power.

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To repeat, gear won’t be buyable or sellable on The Market, so long as gems aren’t considered gear. Players will have to earn their gear near entirely through normal gameplay, just like in a normal Diablo game. But again, there are questions. Questions like whether buying materials will allow players to craft their own gear, which turns the system into a way to buy gear. Blizzard is leaving a lot of room for The Market to allow players to buy power.

One area that is clear, at least, is that The Market has no way for players to earn real money. The Diablo 3 Auction House allowed players to cash out, earning real-life currency for their in-game efforts. Players will be able to make in-game purchases using a currency called Platinum. Platinum appears to be the sole currency of The Market, though it’s also used to craft Charms. Platinum can be purchased with real money or via daily activities.

Blizzard states clearly that The Market “is not the Diablo 3 real-money auction house,” but comparisons are inevitable. Real-money currencies, especially those that can be used to purchase gear directly or indirectly, remain controversial. It may be less controversial in mobile games, but with a big franchise like Diablo there’s going to be a lot of players with high expectations.

It’s not surprising that Diablo Immortal will feature these kinds of monetization systems, and The Market is just one of several. Blizzard was the company that made the Auction House in Diablo 3, after all. It’s going to be interesting to see how these decisions are received in 2021 after years of acclimation to increased monetization.

Diablo Immortal is in development for iOS and Android devices.

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