In addition to the auction house utilizing in-game gold, Blizzard is including another auction house, this time allowing you to trade cash for items.

So, how much do you really want that in-game ring? Or…how much do you want to keep it? Money that you make in-game can be applied to Blizzard items, or removed from the game via a third-party to spend as you please.

Basically, if Blizzard didn’t do this, an outside service would have eventually stepped in, or people might have started selling coveted items on eBay. It’s happened before, and it would definitely happen again. Keeping it all official makes sure that the quality of service is consistently up-to-par.

Each region gets its own marketplace to keep you from constantly doing mathematical acrobatics every time you want to buy something.

Blizzard will require a small fee for listing the item and selling the item. It’s not a percentage, at least, but they’ve got to keep this running somehow. The listing fee will also be enough to definitely make you think before you list something.

Of course, now this means that your Battle.net account will technically be “worth” a lot more to hackers…time to grab an authenticator if you don’t already have one.

Joystiq

Superheroes! Prepare for more freedom than you ever thought imaginable. NCsoft and Paragon Studios announced yesterday that their comic-inspired MMO is going free-to-play later this year as City of Heroes Freedom.

“Freedom is about getting more content into the hands of our players, whether they are subscribing or playing for free,” said Brian Clayton, Executive Producer at Paragon Studios. “To do this, we’ve looked at City of Heroes from the ground up and focused on three ways to enhance the experience by giving our players more choices, greater rewards and the best content we’ve ever produced. And for the first time ever, players can choose to enjoy more than seven years of content for free.”

You will, as these things usually go, be able to choose whether or not you’re willing to pay for content. Subscribers will be able to experience all of the game’s benefits as well as some special VIP content. Free players can make it all the way to level 50, but it’ll be a harder trip, given that they won’t be able to access all content.

Current subscribers will start receiving 400 “Paragon Points” for every month between July and the launch of Freedom. These points will redeemable for costumes, items and services in the Paragon Market at launch.

Along with Freedom, Paragon will be delivering City of Heroes‘ next expansion: Issue 21: Convergence, which adds the First Ward co-op zone as well as new costumes and other content. Paragon will also add monthly Signature Story Arcs, which will be free to VIPs, and not-so-free to everyone else.

I guess Freedom doesn’t mean everyone can be free.

A first taste of the content will be available at San Diego Comic Con.

Blizzard is trying out the world of microtransactions, but like most things they work on, they aren’t doing it small. On the WoW.com forums, Nethaera posted details about the brand new Pet Store for World of Warcraft.

The Pet Store gives players a place to purchase with real money, in-game pets. The store has launched with two pets, Pandaren Monk and Lil K.T. the Littlest Lich.

Microtransactions have typically been used in free-to-play MMOs and are low cost items that assist in gameplay experience. Blizzard has been talking about possible microtransactions for awhile, but at $10 for each pet, that’s hardly micro.

On the plus side, half of the proceeds from every Pandaren Monk pet will go towards Make-A-Wish Foundation. Just be careful to note that money from the other pet does not.

Here are the details on the Pets and FAQ on the Pet Store
Enter the Pandaren Monk, ( http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000763 ) a martial-arts expert who’s here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he’s proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances. For every Pandaren Monk that finds its way to a player’s side between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PDT), we’ll donate 50 percent of the $10 purchasing price to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in an effort to brew up a little hope, strength, and joy in a child’s life.

Lil’ K.T., the Littlest Lich

Lil’ K.T. is a miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel’Thuzad. But don’t let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil’ K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path. You can now buy this new pet for $10 on the Blizzard Store. (http://us.blizzard.com/store/ )

Pet Store FAQ
Why are you introducing this service?

The Pet Store provides a new way for players to obtain unique companion pets outside of the game, which is something that has been requested by many players who enjoy World of Warcraft’s non-combat companions.

Will more companions be available for purchase in the future?

We plan to add more pets to the Pet Store in the near future. Keep an eye on the official World of Warcraft website and the online Blizzard Store for details.

Where can I go to purchase these pets?

You can purchase these in-game companions by visiting this link or heading to the online Blizzard Store, where you’ll find the Pet Store pets under the Collectibles tab.

Will I be able to acquire these Pet Store pets by questing, through holidays, on in-game vendors, or by any other in-game methods?

No. Pets purchasable through the Pet Store will not be obtainable through quests or other in-game means — they’re only available through the online Blizzard Store.

How do I redeem a Pet Store pet once it’s been purchased from the Blizzard Store?

After you purchase the pet, you’ll receive a code that can then be redeemed on any World of Warcraft account via Battle.net Account Management. You don’t need to redeem the code on the same Battle.net account that made the initial purchase – feel free to send the code to a friend as a gift.

Will these pets count toward pet-related achievements?

These Pet Store pets will count toward the total number of pets a character has for achievements like Plethora of Pets or Lil’ Game Hunter.

Will these pets help me in combat?

No, these pets are strictly cosmetic. They have some fun animations and sound effects, but they will not help you in PvP or PvE.

What characters will receive the Pet Store pet that I purchase?

Once you redeem your code on an individual World of Warcraft account, every character on the account will receive the pet in their in-game mailbox (including any characters you create in the future). If you wish to purchase the pet for multiple different World of Warcraft accounts merged with the same Battle.net account, you will need to buy a separate pet for each World of Warcraft account individually.

**Please Note** If a character transfers off of the account where the pet is bound the pet will be lost.**

How long will these Pet Store pets be available?

We do not currently have any plans to remove these pets from the Pet Store. The Blizzard Store purchasing page will provide information on any changes to availability.

In what regions are these pets available?

The Pet Store pets are available only to players on realms located in North America, Europe, and Korea. A Battle.net account is required in order to redeem the pet.

Charity Pet

What charity will I be supporting when I purchase the Pandaren Monk pet?

Donations from every sale of the Pandaren Monk pet through December 31, 2009, will be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. To find out more about this charity, please visit www.wish.org.

How much of every Pandaren Monk pet sale will go to charity?

For each Pandaren Monk sale, we’ll donate 50% of the $10 purchase price to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information on this charity, visit www.wish.org.

How long will you be making this donation?

We will continue to make a donation for each Pandaren Monk pet purchased until December 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Will the pet still be available for purchase after the donation period is over?

Yes, you will still be able to purchase the pet after December 31, and we do not currently have any plans to remove this pet from the Pet Store. The Blizzard Store purchasing page will provide information on any changes to availability.

Does this mean you’ll be introducing more services like this in the future? Will you be introducing the ability to buy epic weapons/etc. in the future, for example?

As with the pets, mounts, and other items players can obtain through Loot cards from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, Pet Store pets are purely cosmetic and just for fun. Like other paid services we offer, such as Paid Name Changes, Race Changes, and Character Re-Customizations, the Pet Store service is entirely optional and intended to provide players another means to enjoy World of Warcraft in a way that isn’t detrimental to the game and that doesn’t detract from the gameplay experience for players who choose not to use the service.