The controversy surrounding Diablo Immortal originated from its own presentation, and its long-delayed release is not working in its favor. At least, when it comes to the general public. Wyatt Chenits director, defends this lost chapter within the well-known saga, and more than providing transparency to the matter, the visible head of the first mobile project (in addition to PC) has managed to open new wounds.
Let’s start with the essentials: Devil Immortal It has been available since June 2 and has already been positioned among the worst of Metacritic among user reviews. More than 2500 reviews, most of them negative with a mean of 0.7 and directly related to its monetization system. Because even though it is not the first free-to-play From Blizzard, it is indisputable that the new Diablo has divided opinions without convincing the core of lifelong fans.
That said, the predisposition of the followers of the saga never played in favor of Immortal Devil, who openly cast the project from its announcement as some kind of very late April’s Fools initiative. Which leads us to question three key questions: is it really an unfair monetization system, is it profitable, or is everything simply an extension of the bad image that Blizzard and Activision have been dragging for years?
Diablo Immortal was not a joke, although his presentation was not taken seriously either
For years, Blizzard earned an image of a company very different from that of the large video game corporations, and that made them respected and special. Their way of making their projects exceptional, from the cinematics to the gameplay, through the gestation of their own culture for each game, positioned those from California preferentially before a community excited about each existing project and new initiative.
However, the announcement of Devil Immortal at BlizzCon 2018, it was the last straw that broke a glass that had been full for some time. And things haven’t gotten any better since then.
It definitely didn’t help that big announcements were expected during the Blizzard convention and we were met with notable no-shows. Especially when it comes to a Diablo IV whose release seems further away today than it did yesterday. Devil Immortal It should have been a blow to the table, but far from arousing emotions, it was received as the umpteenth clone of the saga for mobile phones. A slightly sneaky response from Blizzard to Crusaders of Light either Endless of God and so many alternatives Made in China.
Far from being a subjective bad impression, the announcement of Devil Immortal Accompanied by some unwelcome news during Blizzcon 2018, it led to a drop in the company’s shares of 7%. We are talking about enough. And be careful, at that time Wyatt Cheng He flatly denied that the game would come to PCs.. Which, by the way, ended up happening.
Unfortunately, and as we’ll see, that wasn’t the only time the game director ended up contradicting themselves.
Blizzard breaks into mobile and returns to the bottom of Metacritic
Seen with perspective, it cannot be said that Blizzard’s great plan was not ambitious: to bring all its sagas to mobile phones, with Diablo being the spearhead of the initiative. That it was the well-known ARPG saga makes a lot of sense given its playable (and replayable) nature as well as its progression system.
A way to bring the formula that established a chair to a new generation of fans and a new user profile: the mobile gamer. More specifically, those who can spend huge amounts of money on a single game. After all, sagas like Pokémon, PUBG either Call of Duty have made the jump with brutal success, and what it proposes Devil Immortal It was an almost seamless plan for Blizzard except for one detail: Diablo players.
As we discussed before, Devil Immortal bet on a model Free-To-Play. At least on paper. Unlike the three previous games, it is possible to start playing from PCs or mobiles without having to pay the equivalent of a game, although we can invest real money in obtaining improvements and advantages. So far, nothing new except for a not so insignificant detail: it has been calculated that upgrading your character to the maximum costs a whopping 110,000 dollars.
In fact, Diablo Immortal’s monetization system did not pass the filter of the laws of Belgium and the Netherlands and, by extension, it is not available in any of those countries.
Seen this way, you don’t have to justify much more to understand why fans of Devil they are not happy with Immortal Devil, but there is still a question: why has this exploded now and not before? Basically, because four months before its release the Wyatt Chen established in the official forums that it would not be possible to improve “the team” with real money. We will detail later the concept of Equipment.
Did Cheng’s statements imply that purchasing upgrades would have less of an impact on the gameplay experience? Well, the reality is that as Diablo Immortal and its endgame are currently planned, those same words have totally turned against the game.
Most fans of Devil establish that in Devil Immortal it’s a pay-to-win manual, that is, those who pay are always at an advantage or payment walls are encouraged. And the amount of items for sale including advancing in the battle pass or the additional chests after the dungeons have a real impact on our character in the game.
In other words: although these types of initiatives are relatively common in mobile games, they are not for Blizzard games and have caused the disappointment or direct rejection of the fans of the sagawhich has been aggravated by the director’s previous statements that, as happened when he denied that Devil Immortal will come to PC, they undermined the credibility around the project in the face of its public.
The dark side of being a Pay to Win Devil: Wyatt Cheng intervenes in the conversation
That what Cheng said remain in borage water It’s a drama, but that doesn’t take away from the big problem: despite the fact that technically it is not possible to buy equipment Devil Immortal those who pay are at a distinct advantage when it comes to upgrading their equipment. The more money we invest, the more advantage is offered and, past the opening bars of the game, the way in which the player is enticed to go through the cobra box is much less subtle.
Faced with this situation, Wyatt Cheng has taken part in the conversation, detailing what he meant by upgrading the team. His response has added fuel to the fire.
I have been quite direct in many interviews (although apparently not in [esta publicación oficial en el foro de Blizzard]) meaning that by team I meant space for 12 items.
In many interviews I also clearly state that using money it is possible to upgrade gems and legendary gems. I’m sorry I didn’t make it more clear. Not being able to buy gear (ie all 12 slots) or Game Experience is still important to us.
From here a line of argument opens in which Cheng refers to the fact that when he indicated that it is not possible to improve the team always referred to the 12 spaces and not the ability to purchase or upgrade game items. Actually the thing is a little more twisted in this aspect.
You can use platinum to buy/sell legendary gems, normal gems, and skill stones. You cannot purchase equipment (12 investment slots) or equipment rank materials from the market.
In the playable, at the level of characters and movements, Devil Immortal aspires and manages to be that spin-off of the saga, that lost chapter between Diablo II and Devil III that extends the lore and opens the door to new fans conveniently ahead of the release of Devil IV. In practice, the monetization system has dashed the little hopes of fans of the saga and has dealt another fatal blow to the image of a Blizzard that is heavily affected by the media.
And yet, the question that will truly define success lies elsewhere: Has Diablo Immortal been profitable?
Conclusions about Diablo Immortal and what we can expect from the future of the saga
If we take as a reference the data registered by Appmagic, and waiting for official figures, Devil Immortal has achieved $10,000,000 in income in less than a week. Almost half of them come from the United States, followed by South Korea where Blizzard continues to have a special charm. The number of downloads? Over 5 million on Google Play alone and counting. That, whichever way you look at it, They are big words.
Despite the disenchantment generated by the community of players of Deviland despite the fact that the image of Blizzard is noticeably touched, it is unquestionable that Diablo Immortal has aroused much more than curiosity. And while the opening week won’t reflect the state of the game a month from now or its first anniversary, the mobile gamer has responded positively.
If we go to the ratings and reviews of the game today in the AppStore we will see that it has been reviewed with 4.7 stars out of 5 and most of them are very positive. In the case of Google Play we find a score of 3.3 out of 5 points and more varied comments about it, but definitely the opinion of the players and the figures differ from the Metacritic note.
What reading can we do? Devil Immortal and your welcome? Fundamentally, that its debut has made much more than noise, and despite the fact that it has affected the image of Blizzard even more, the public to which the game was directed has responded with more than words: with the wallet. Even when that audience does not exactly fit the profile of the Diablo player on PC and consoles.
The practice of these monetization policies may be liked more or less. Or, usually less than more. But the results are there. Luckily for everyone, those eager to return to the sanctuary and unconditional fans of the Blizzard saga still have a redoubt of hope: a Devil IV that, with some luck and the lessons learned based on sticks, will channel the saga to what the fans want to find.
A fourth installment that, by the way, will also define the future of the saga: yes Devil IV does not equal the income of Devil Immortalit will be more than justified that there are new similar initiatives.