Earlier this year, Blizzard launched its latest foray into the mobile market withDiablo Immortal. This marks a new push by the studio to enter the mobile market, and it is the first newDiablogame since 2012. Many players found that the gameplay and combat were pretty fun, and some felt it was a goodDiabloadaptation for mobile. However,Diablo Immortal’s predatory microtransaction modelhas created much controversy and further damaged the public perception of Activision Blizzard. The studio has not shown any indication that it will change this model, and it is hard at work on its next mobile titleWarcraft: Arclight Rumble.
Diablo Immortal’s microtransactions have been the topic of conversation ever since players found out that it could cost them up to $110,000 to fully gear up their character. While these microtransactions are pretty extreme, the game has already passed $100 million in revenue on mobile platforms alone. This return on investment will only give Activision Blizzard more of a reason to head down the mobile path, and it is very possible thatWarcraft Arclight Rumblewill adoptDiablo Immortal’smodel. However, that could further damage Activision Blizzard’s reputation within the gaming community and harm a brand that is already struggling after two controversialWorld of Warcraftexpansions.
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Diablo Immortal’s Controversy Explained
Diablo Immortalhas been the source of controversyever since it was announced at Blizzcon 2018. It was the first newDiablotitle sinceDiablo 3in 2012, and fans were expecting it not to be a mobile game. The announcement was met with a negative reaction, and it spawned the infamous “do you guys not have phones?” meme. The game began to drum up bad PR before it was even released, but it would get even worse.
Diablo Immortalwas finally released in June, and it had the biggest launch in franchise history. Players soon discovered the predatory microtransactions that were ingrained within. If players want to reach the highest power levels in the game, the easiest way by far is to spend real-world money. Players can purchase buffs and modifiers to speed up their progress, and the game also offers loot boxes that contain items that are not easy to acquire.
These loot boxes contain all sorts of items including legendary-tier gems. If players do not want to put in a large amount of time grinding out these items then they can purchase loot boxes. Some players have done the math and discovered that it could take up to$110,000 to fully gear up theirDiablo Immortalcharacters, and that has created a bit of controversy within the gaming community. Yet, there have been players that are willing to spend the money and that has given Blizzard reason to keep its model.
Blizzard plans tofollowDiablo ImmortalwithWarcraft Arclight Rumblesometime soon. This will be the first mobile onlyWarcrafttitle, and will be taking the franchise to the action strategy genre. It looks to be very similar toClash Royalewith aWarcraftskin, andWorld of Warcraftfans are kind of worried. With the wayDiablo Immortalturned out,Warcraft Arclight Rumblemay not have the best future ahead of it.
Diablo Immortal’s microtransaction model has not only put a bit of a stain on theDiablofranchise, but it has also created even more bad PR for a company that has recently been caught up in lawsuits and protests over workplace harassment.Blizzard does not look great in the public eyeright now, and controversies likeDiablo Immortalare not helping. Blizzard cannot adopt a similar model forWarcraft Arclight Rumblefor its reputation’s sake.
TheWarcraftbrand is also in a bit of a tough spot after two expansions that were not received very well by fans. Many players have felt like the story direction inBattle for AzerothandShadowlandshas not made sense and has not stayed true to pre-established lore. The playerbase has also felt like Blizzard has started caring more about keeping players logged in than crafting a fun game. WhileDragonflightaims to change that, some damage cannot be undone. IfWarcraft Arclight Rumbleproves to be just likeDiablo Immortal,then the brand could be hurt even more, and that is the last thing that Azeroth needs.
Warcraft Arclight Rumbleis currently in development for iOS and Android.
