Yesterday’s Blizzcon was supposed to be yet another celebration by Blizzard for its fans but it’s going down as one of the most negatively received projects Blizzard has ever announced. After recent teases that new Diablo projects were in the works, fans were naturally hoping for a fourth entry into the legendary hack&slash series. Some were speculating a remake of Diablo 2 but what Blizzard unveiled is an absolute surprise to even their hardcore fans.
Diablo Immortal, a Mobile Massively Multiplayer Online Action RPG or MMOARPG. Produced together with Chinese developer NetEase, Diablo Immortal wants to bring Diablo’s addictive tried-and-true formula to the masses on mobile platforms. I guess, the Nintendo Switch isn’t considered a mobile platform.
Set between Diablo II and Diablo III, Diablo Immortal’s world is still full of evil monsters and demons who want to bring the return of Diablo. The social aspects we come to expect from mobile gaming are fully present here as well. Players will be able to meet and team up with fellow players and clear dungeons or take part in dynamic events.
You can check out the gameplay trailer here and make yourself an impression of how Diablo’s first mobile outing is shaping out. As a designated mobile experience and with NetEase’s experience on the platform, Diablo Immortal should feel and play nice. At least that’s what Blizzard is promising.
But all that means very little for seasoned fans of Diablo who feel betrayed Blizzard for going at the lucrative mobile instead of focusing on core gamers. It’s true, Blizzard is openly gunning for the masses with Diablo Immortal. That doesn’t automatically mean predatory business models but the image mobile games have, is not really optimal at the moment. Diablo Immortal might become the shining example of how to do it right, but in the here and now, fans don’t want to think about that. They are disappointed in Blizzard as the insanely high Dislike-Like ratio on the game’s YouTube videos, comments on Reddit, YouTube, gaming forums and socila media are showing. It doesn’t help that some people are accusing Diablo Immortal of being another reskinned NetEase game.
If you are open about mobile gaming and want to give the game and Blizzard a chance, you can pre-register for Diablo Immortal here and get exclusive beta-access in the near future.
