Diablo III: Game Director on the Mistake of Auction Houses

To say Diablo IIIwas anticipated by its fans would be a massive understatement. A sequel to one of the most acclaimed PC games of all time, it was years in the making - early development began in 2001, yet the finished game didn't appear until 2012.

At launch, Diablo III didn't please everyone, either. One of the most controversial aspects of the game were its auction houses, one of which allowed real-world money to be exchanged for in-game items. Unpopular with some players from the very beginning, the auction houses were finally shut down in March last year.

In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Diablo III's game director Josh Mosqueira has been talking, with unusual candor, about the launch of Diablo III and the lessons his team has learned since. While stating that "all the intentions were the right ones," he admits that the auction houses messed up the classic Diablo balance:

"...we realized we fundamentally sabotaged what is inherently awesome about Diablo, which is killing a monster and getting the loot," Mosqueira said. "And so looking back I think it was a good thing we did it, mostly because we realized at the end of the day any decision that compromises the integrity of our game is one that we cannot allow to happen."

As for Diablo III's future, Mosqueira confirmed that the game will continue to develop now that its latest expansion, Reaper of Souls, has launched on consoles as well as PC.

"We're at the point where I think we've gotten most of what we wanted into Reaper of Souls," the director continued, "and now we're really just entering this... we're trying to build a legacy now. I think we're seeing as a team that this is our chance, this is our love letter to Diablo."