Diablo gets microtransactions as Blizzard experiments
No plans to bring the feature to Europe or North America
Blizzard is experimenting with adding microtransactions to Diablo III, but they aren't currently planning to do any of that experimenting in the US or Europe.
Patch 2.2 includes a new currency called Platinum, timed experience boosts and cosmetic items. There'll also be a new UI to help support these new additions.
"While the above features will not apply to this region, players will still benefit from some of the quality of life perks tied to these additions, such as a streamlined UI for selecting cosmetic benefits like pets and Collector's Edition wings," said community manager Brandy 'Nevalistis' Camel.
"We recognize that many players have expressed an interest in microtransactions being added to Diablo III. While we may explore this model in some regions, we have no immediate plans to implement such purchases or the aforementioned features anytime soon for the Americas region."
An almost identical post on the EU forums clarified microtransactions would not be made available there either.
It's not the first time Blizzard has experimented with the game's model. When Diablo III launched there was fuss around its real-money auction houses, which allowed players to buy and sell loot for actual cash - one player even claimed to have made $10,000 buying and selling through the platform - but Blizzard closed the service in September 2013.
"When we initially designed and implemented the auction houses, the driving goal was to provide a convenient and secure system for trades," said Blizzard's John Hight at the time.
"But as we've mentioned on different occasions, it became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot."