The Diablo III real money auction house went live yesterday and within hours people were declaring to the world that they apparently have an overabundance of cash lying around. With items selling for as much as $250 seemingly regularly, it appears that my worst fears have come true.
Diablo III is now playing as a $60 game with freemium content, and with no signs of the economy balancing itself out, the upcoming weeks will indeed be strange to watch.
The good news is that the hardcore mode will not have a real money auction house, so players willing to risk the chance of losing their character and starting over fairly regularly will be able to play in a more controlled environment. For the rest of us, at least we have Torchlight 2 to look forward to.