Monday, January 29, 2007

Ebay To Suspend All Virtual Item Auctions

A new report from technology news site Slashdot has revealed that online auction house Ebay intends to remove listings for all virtual items, regardless of type or game title, clamping down on third-party sales of gold and accounts from many popular MMOs.

Despite the Slashdot piece further explaining continued in-game item and currency sales through third party firms as IGE, previously profiled on Gamasutra in August, and Sony Online Entertainment's own internal Station Exchange for its line-up of MMO titles, eBay has decided to close down all virtual item listings due to their inherent 'legal complexities.'

The policy currently in effect covers virtual items of any type, including in-game currency, items, and entire accounts or characters from MMOs, even up to, the report notes, 'neopoints' currency for casual virtual-pet website Neopets.

Read more http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=12556

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