Diablo 3 Auction Houses Back Online, Will Players Return?

Blizzard has reactivated Diablo 3’s auction houses after the company discovered and plugged an exploit that allowed players to duplicate obscene amounts of gold.

The bug was discovered after Patch 1.0.8 was applied last week. Many players called for the rollback of the patch, which Blizzard apparently contemplated doing. Some claimed that the game was effectively ruined.

Blizzard once again addressed the issue over the weekend with a forum post by Production Director John Hight. Hight claimed that accounts which took advantage of the exploit were “banned or rolled back,” depending on the activity that the accounts in question were engaged in. Hight also stated that proceeds generated from the less than ethical transactions would be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Aww.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Diablo 3’s population returns to pre-gold dupe levels. Either way, considering the game’s rocky state of stability since its disastrous launch last year, this likely will not be the last time that Diablo 3 suffers from severe playability and/or security issues.

Was your account banned? Did you take advantage of or attempt to take advantage of the gold duping exploit? Were you affected in any way? Do you feel that you’ve been wrongfully punished? Sound off in the comments below.