14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at ZeniMax Online and publisher Bethesda are saying that they still do not have any long-term plans to introduce an official in-game auction house for their recently launched The Elder Scrolls Online, but they are allowing gamers to trade via a newly launched online marketplace.
The new site allows any player to trade, buy and sell both items and services and the company says that the new structure is designed to make sure that the economy of the MMO stays as solid as possible while also encouraging players to interact with one another as they trade.
ZeniMax Online explains through gameplay designer Nick Konkle that, “You don’t necessarily want to do a global auction house for a game with one giant server because that generally leads to all the best gear being available at very, very cheap prices. A lot of times that can trivialize the game. You cannot have a healthy economy when there are no restrictions on getting the best stuff in the game.”
Gamers can also join one of the many guilds in The Elder Scrolls Online in order to have more options linked to the items and equipment that they have access to.
ZeniMax Online says that it expects gamers who use The Marketplace to behave appropriately and keep all economic activity fair, but it has also set up a special system designed to resolve all issues that might arrive.
The company states, “All the disputes will be handled off-thread, by submitting a PM to @TEdisputes. The PM must include detailed informations about your problem, including screenshots with the possible conversations you have with the buyer/seller. If you feel that somebody left you an unfair negative feedback, use the same contact information.”
At the moment, The Marketplace associated with The Elder Scrolls Online seems a little chaotic and there’s little actual business being conducted in the various threads, but the situation will probably improve as more players join.
The Elder Scrolls Online was launched at the start of April and allows gamers to explore the game world 1,000 years before the events of the titles in the single-player series, joining one of the three alliances that are fighting for domination of the continent.
Bethesda also has plans to launch the MMO on the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony during summer, but no cross-platform play is being planned for the title.