The feature that was designed as a boon to help involve the role of actual money in purchasing and augmenting virtual items is now slowly turning into a bane for Blizzard. Cases are surfacing from different regions regarding the company’s various rules that have led to loss of money for customers. A couple of fans even posted online that they had reported the game to the FBI as well, though it is yet to be confirmed if the latter reverted. Although its comparison with Diablo II has been one of the main reasons why the game is losing its sheen, gamers were expecting a more holistic product over its previous version. The game’s graphical settings and animations are more impressive than its contemporaries and it is able to maintain a fast-paced format which is the most popular choice among gamers. However, considering the time that Blizzard took to develop this version, more thought could have been put into its other features as well–working out all the possible ways the RMAH could be utilized or misused by the user. Between June 25 and July 3, 2012, Blizzard was offering full refunds to South Korean gamers owing to the Error 37 server issue. The transaction was facilitated following an investigation by the country’s government in the agency’s operation. The company was forced to make full payments to players who were under level 40 in the game and also accepted returns for users under level 20 in the game. Of course, the players above level 40 had finished a substantial portion of the game and were not entitled to such a facility. Blizzard could have been a bit more passionate about its love for the game and its fans and this is what could make a good product over sticking to siphoning funds from its followers. Recently, there was another report on how a fan’s money was lost just by getting involved in a transaction with the RMAH when he shifted. Since the game is always played online, the shift between two regions was notified and the player was initially debarred from accessing his account. Now, the company has relented and granted him access but refused him the $200 he had transferred to the Battle.net account, citing it as an audit finding and a move to avoid ‘fraudulent activity or potential money laundering’. The amount, in turn, has been retained by Blizzard and even if the person moves back to his original region, he would only be able to retain $20 from the mentioned sum. With actions such as these, the company is bound to lose its credibility and this may result in a drop in preferences following the number of competitors to the franchise. If you are a Diablo 3 fan, do mention if you have faced a similar problem and whether you would like Blizzard to rectify its approach towards RMAH in its upcoming edition. Do forward us your suggestions as well on what you would like to see in its new version!
