Blizzard disables Diablo 4 trading for the third time this year as a dupe bug wrecks its economy

Diablo 4 was forced to disable trading once again due to a duping problem. This is the third time in a year that this has happened, but only just barely.

We will disable trading in Diablo IV as we investigate a potential duplication issue. We apologize for the disruption. We will update you on when trading will be available again after we have investigated further and identified any issues that need to be resolved.

It is a mathematically pleasing and auspicious occasion that two dates almost exactly match ,like anniversaries--it's August 15, 2024 and Blizzard stopped all trading yesterday. The company had to do exactly the same thing on August 15 2023. In October 2023, a similar suspension took place, making it the third time this year that it has happened.

The dupe, as outlined by YouTuber Sliver of Time, was first properly broadcast on streaming website bilibili (thanks, GamesRadar)--appearing to weaponise the player stash and the power of friendship. For those who want to do this themselves, I should point out that duping items is against the EULA. It states that players cannot "create, use, or transact any in-game item that was created or copied using a design flaw or undocumented bug or program in the Platform."

These duplication bugs are a serious problem because live service and MMO economies can be fragile. RMT websites are at risk of escalating prices to unimaginable levels if they continue to exploit vulnerabilities. Take Star Wars: The Old Republic for example. Low-level gear was selling for millions of credits in the past year.

Blizzard's decision to slam the emergency bunker doors shut is a sensible one, regardless of the extent of the dupe. Developers can determine the exact nature later, but for the moment, quarantining economy makes sense. The cut has already been made and it's time to stop bleeding.

It is frustrating that this is such a common problem as to warrant a holiday. According to a player on the subreddit of the game, "Death is certain, but taxes and trading are disabled in D4." It's a shame because, according to Tyler Colp of PC Gamer, this season has been pretty good.