If you were hoping to make some extra cash with the Diablo 3 real-money auction house, you may be better off getting a new second job as Blizzard has just confirmed they will again delay the release.
"In light of the post-launch obstacles we've encountered, we have made the decision to move the launch of the real-money auction house beyond the previously estimated May time frame," Blizzard announced.
The controversial real-money auction house was originally supposed to release on May 22, but was delayed until May 29 due to some early technical difficulties. Now, for the second time in as many weeks, it has been delayed indefinitely. Time for an alternative job
"As we mentioned in our original announcement, our goal has always been to ensure everyone has the smoothest experience possible when the real-money auction house launches, and we need a bit more time to iron out the existing general stability and gameplay issues before that feature goes live."
The Diablo 3 auction house does still function (if you happen to catch it at a good time); however, you can only sell and buy with the in-game gold currency.
The auction house has seen some rough patches in Diablo 3's early release. Aside from the downtime, it looks as if the Diablo fan base is struggling to cope with the new "gold" currency so heavily emphasized in this game. Whereas previous Diablo games mostly relied on a barter system, Diablo 3 has attempted to make gold relevant again. Unfortunately, the pricing of items seems to be the big obstacle as slight variances in stats for somewhat similar items can result in extremely different prices.
Blizzard could offer no timetable for when the real-money auction house will release, but did promise more information soon. So much for using the "making real money" excuse as one of the reasons to play Diablo 3.
