PixlBit

A delay in Korea could mean a delay everywhere.

We’re getting closer and closer to that fabled “early 2012” release of Diablo III. In fact, it seems like the hotly-anticipated dungeon crawler from Blizzard may be getting here sooner, as the company has submitted the game to be rated in Korea. The company has sent three submissions to the ratings board, with the first two coming back rejected and the third in discussion. While you would be forgiven for assuming that the problem is due to violence or religious issues, the reality is something much tamer, and yet could have large repercussions. The controversial auction house being implemented in Diablo III is something of a stumbling block for the Korean ratings board, which sees it as edging too close to gambling.

For those that may not know, Diablo III uses an auction house not unlike the type you would find in any MMORPG, including World of Warcraft. The big difference is that players can buy items on the AH for real money, sell items for real money, and even cash out their in-game gold for real money. According to the Korea Times, the most recent submission of Diablo III did not include the cashing out feature, but a decision has still not been reached.

This isn’t something that just affects gamers in Korea, however. In a report by The Escapist, Diablo III is set to be a simultaneous, world-wide launch. If the game gets held up in the Korean ratings board, that could mean a delay for the rest of us. Blizzard has run into ratings problems overseas before, with the most notable being problems with the depiction of the undead in World of Warcraft when it was released in China.

As of now, we don’t know what the larger impact of this ratings hold up will be. It’s possible that the game will get a “nearly” simultaneous release. Look forward to our updated beta preview, and plenty more information as it becomes available.