{"id":2031032,"date":"2026-07-07T11:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2031032"},"modified":"2026-07-07T11:42:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:42:02","slug":"former-xbox-boss-don-mattrick-once-reportedly-suggested-halo-4-should-have-a-real-money-auction-house-like-diablo-3-infamously-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2031032","title":{"rendered":"Former Xbox boss Don Mattrick once reportedly suggested Halo 4 should have a real-money auction house like Diablo 3 infamously did"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Former Xbox boss Don Mattrick once reportedly suggested Halo 4 should have a real-money auction house like Diablo 3 infamously did<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Good job no one did his bidding.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Diablo-3-x-Master-Chief-custom-image.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Master Chief in Diablo 3 - custom image\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Diablo-3-x-Master-Chief-custom-image.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer \/ Xbox Game Studios \/ Blizzard Entertainment<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fran Ruiz avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/fran-j-ruiz-author.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Fran Ruiz avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"fran-j-ruiz-author.png\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/fran-ruiz\">Fran Ruiz<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-07T11:42:02+00:00\">July 7, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"39e4686b-858a-492f-8291-dcd7f424d4cf\" data-name=\"Diablo III\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Diablo III\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Diablo III\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Diablo III\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Diablo III\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Diablo III\" title=\"Follow Diablo III\"><br \/>\n  Follow Diablo III<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>As the games industry grapples with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-xbox-layoffs-2026-double-fine-compulsion-ninja-theory\">Xbox laying off 3200 workers<\/a> and dropping five studios, more voices are surfacing to tell tales about corporate fumblings in the past.<\/p>\n<p>Dan Callan &#8211; who was recently laid off from his position as staff designer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/bungie-sony-layoffs-destiny-2-marathon\">Bungie<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/danjamin.bsky.social\/post\/3mpym2hlq722d\">shared on Bluesky<\/a> an anecdote about demoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/halo-4\">Halo 4<\/a> for former Xbox boss Don Mattrick. You&#8217;ll probably remember him as the main face behind the brand during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-kills-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile\">Xbox One&#8217;s &#8220;TV TV TV&#8221; debacle<\/a> before he departed the company and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/personas\/phil-spencer\">Phil Spencer<\/a> came in.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Halo 4 - Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Elj9ijckez8?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Elj9ijckez8\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Halo 4 &#8211; Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Halo 4 &#8211; Launch Trailer<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Elj9ijckez8\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As Callan recalls, he was showing a mission he&#8217;d worked on when Mattrick suggested that maybe the game&#8217;s campaign could use a &#8220;real money auction house for campaign mech skins&#8221;, a bit like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/diablo-iii\">Diablo 3<\/a>&#8216;s ill-fated experiment that severely damaged the game and brand&#8217;s reputation.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to Callan: &#8220;Every single human being around him reacted like this was an amazing groundbreaking idea&#8230; while simultaneously realising this was the stupidest shit imaginable since everyone with a brain had seen how hard that blew up in their face and the game was 90 percent done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Halo 4 never did launch with a real-money auction house, of course, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-exec-don-mattrick-leaves-microsoft-for-zynga-report\">Don Mattrick left Microsoft and Xbox in 2013<\/a>, the year after Halo 4 launched. It&#8217;s unclear exactly how the team talked Mattrick down from the real-money auction house idea.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So yeah game execs remain stupid detached money grubbing idiots,&#8221; Callan concluded. <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/danjamin.bsky.social\/post\/3mpyqlo2tis2m\">Then he added<\/a>: &#8220;This isn&#8217;t even the dumbest thing that was said that day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Xbox&#8217;s latest round of layoffs and strategic shift has resulted in Double Fine (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/psychonauts\">Psychonauts<\/a>, Keeper) and Compulsion Games (We Happy Few, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/south-of-midnight\">South of Midnight<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/double-fine-compulsion-games-statement-xbox-restructuring\">going independent<\/a> and keeping their properties. Meanwhile, Undead Labs (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/state-of-decay\">State of Decay<\/a> series) and Ninja Theory (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/hellblade\">Hellblade<\/a>) are being moved to new ownership while also retaining the rights to their games. Bethesda studios &#8211; like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/zenimax-online-studios-layoffs-microsoft-2026\">ZeniMax Online<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-july-2026-id-software\">id Software<\/a> &#8211; have also been hit with deep cuts.<\/p>\n<p>Halo Studios is currently preparing to launch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/halo-campaign-evolved\">Halo: Campaign Evolved<\/a> later this month, but it&#8217;s unclear if its teams will remain unaffected by further (delayed) cuts after the launch date even if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/xbox-reportedly-speeding-up-new-elder-scrolls-fallout-and-halo-games-as-microsoft-leaves-spinning-off-the-business-on-the-table\">Xbox reportedly wants more Halo games<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>As the games industry grapples with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-xbox-layoffs-2026-double-fine-compulsion-ninja-theory\">Xbox laying off 3200 workers<\/a> and dropping five studios, more voices are surfacing to tell tales about corporate fumblings in the past.<\/p>\n<p>Dan Callan &#8211; who was recently laid off from his position as staff designer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/bungie-sony-layoffs-destiny-2-marathon\">Bungie<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/danjamin.bsky.social\/post\/3mpym2hlq722d\">shared on Bluesky<\/a> an anecdote about demoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/halo-4\">Halo 4<\/a> for former Xbox boss Don Mattrick. You&#8217;ll probably remember him as the main face behind the brand during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-kills-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile\">Xbox One&#8217;s &#8220;TV TV TV&#8221; debacle<\/a> before he departed the company and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/personas\/phil-spencer\">Phil Spencer<\/a> came in.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Halo 4 - Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Elj9ijckez8?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Elj9ijckez8\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Halo 4 &#8211; Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Halo 4 &#8211; Launch Trailer<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Elj9ijckez8\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As Callan recalls, he was showing a mission he&#8217;d worked on when Mattrick suggested that maybe the game&#8217;s campaign could use a &#8220;real money auction house for campaign mech skins&#8221;, a bit like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/diablo-iii\">Diablo 3<\/a>&#8216;s ill-fated experiment that severely damaged the game and brand&#8217;s reputation.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to Callan: &#8220;Every single human being around him reacted like this was an amazing groundbreaking idea&#8230; while simultaneously realising this was the stupidest shit imaginable since everyone with a brain had seen how hard that blew up in their face and the game was 90 percent done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Halo 4 never did launch with a real-money auction house, of course, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-exec-don-mattrick-leaves-microsoft-for-zynga-report\">Don Mattrick left Microsoft and Xbox in 2013<\/a>, the year after Halo 4 launched. It&#8217;s unclear exactly how the team talked Mattrick down from the real-money auction house idea.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So yeah game execs remain stupid detached money grubbing idiots,&#8221; Callan concluded. <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/danjamin.bsky.social\/post\/3mpyqlo2tis2m\">Then he added<\/a>: &#8220;This isn&#8217;t even the dumbest thing that was said that day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Xbox&#8217;s latest round of layoffs and strategic shift has resulted in Double Fine (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/psychonauts\">Psychonauts<\/a>, Keeper) and Compulsion Games (We Happy Few, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/south-of-midnight\">South of Midnight<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/double-fine-compulsion-games-statement-xbox-restructuring\">going independent<\/a> and keeping their properties. Meanwhile, Undead Labs (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/state-of-decay\">State of Decay<\/a> series) and Ninja Theory (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/hellblade\">Hellblade<\/a>) are being moved to new ownership while also retaining the rights to their games. Bethesda studios &#8211; like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/zenimax-online-studios-layoffs-microsoft-2026\">ZeniMax Online<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-layoffs-july-2026-id-software\">id Software<\/a> &#8211; have also been hit with deep cuts.<\/p>\n<p>Halo Studios is currently preparing to launch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/halo-campaign-evolved\">Halo: Campaign Evolved<\/a> later this month, but it&#8217;s unclear if its teams will remain unaffected by further (delayed) cuts after the launch date even if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/xbox-reportedly-speeding-up-new-elder-scrolls-fallout-and-halo-games-as-microsoft-leaves-spinning-off-the-business-on-the-table\">Xbox reportedly wants more Halo games<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Former Xbox boss Don Mattrick once reportedly suggested Halo 4 should have a real-money auction house like Diablo 3 infamously did Good job no one did his bidding. Image credit: Eurogamer \/ Xbox Game Studios \/ Blizzard Entertainment News by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on July 7, 2026 Follow Diablo III As the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2031032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2031032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031032\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2031032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2031032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2031032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}