Looks like there’s no stopping Blizzard from moving forward with their plans for Diablo Immortal. Depending on where you stand when it comes to this game, the latest update can be good or bad news. But it appears Diablo Immortal will become free-to-play. Of course, there are optional in-app purchases.
For Diablo fans who remain critical of this mobile game, the announcement may make them angrier. Diablo Immortal was first revealed in 2018, which received a significant negative response. At that time, fans were expecting the news to be about Diablo 4. There were also those who were afraid that the game was pay-to-win.
Despite the criticisms, that hasn’t stopped game development. During BlizzCon 2019, the developer revealed some of the features, which you read more here.
Then in August of this year, Blizzard announced that the game was now on its way to an internal company playtest. This was a way for the development team to get access from those at Blizzard. Learn more on that story here.
So, why the decision to go free-to-play? In a post, Blizzard said that they wanted to focus on gameplay first. They are making sure that the core mechanics should prioritize fun and that “purchases should never circumvent Diablo’s core gameplay.”
When it comes to purchases, it should be worthwhile in deepening player engagement and boosting their enjoyment of the game. Ultimately, Blizzard stated that the purchases “should feel like a bonus” and completely optional to enjoy the game.
Purchasable items include Crests, which are used with Elder Rifts. Players can either earn or buy Crests. Once obtained, it should provide both personal and social benefits. Another purpose of buying items is Reforging. Reforging item properties needs certain consumable materials. These materials can be earned by playing or making in-app purchases.
Diablo Immortal will also have a Battle Pass progression system, because why not? This is basically the trend these days so it’s not surprising that Blizzard would have the same feature. Like other Battle Passes, players get to earn rewards by completing Seasonal Quests and other in-game activities. There are free and paid tracks as well.
Some fans may not like the decision to have a mobile version but a free-to-play approach is ideal. It’s going to attract more players to try the game. What’s going to be interesting is if the in-app purchases are truly not going to have a big impact on the game.
You can read more about this announcement here.
What do you think? Are you willing to give Diablo Immortal a shot?
