Diablo Immortal, despite there only being a few days since its release, has a storied history. WhenDiablo Immortalwas first revealed to the world, many had been hoping for something onDiablo 4at the time, and a mobile version of the franchise did not click with fans. The reveal and a subsequent Q&A led to two key phrases, “do you guys not have phones?” and “is this a late April Fool’s Day joke?” that will forever immortalize the controversial reveal.
But over time, the tide shifted. Early impressions, subsequent reveals, and so on painted it as a genuineDiablogame on mobile devices. That, in and of itself, was not a bad thing. The quality and so on were all there, and this built a ton of hype forDiablo Immortal’s release. Many of these early impressions basically came down to “the game is good, but what about microtransactions?”
RELATED:Diablo Immortal Cheating Hits PvP
Unfortunately, those early impressions and perhaps their potential concerns were realized upon release. While many are enjoying the game, several are upset aboutDiablo Immortal’s microtransactions. This ties back directly to its reveal, where many were concerned about how monetization would work.
In afree-to-play mobile game, microtransactions are to be expected. Everyone has some that they’re okay with, even if there are some they would never buy, while some are universally hated. Time savers are often criticized, while most will shoo away cosmetics. Ultimately, it depends on how microtransactions impact the gaming experience, and they truly define it inDiablo Immortal.
Diablo Immortal’s Microtransactions Are Incredibly Expensive
Many fans, streamers, and so on realized how expensive the microtransactions were upon release, but it wasn’t until a new video by Bellular News broke it down that it was clear just how bad these were. The fact that afew countries wouldn’t allowDiablo Immortalto releasealso speaks to how these microtransactions work.
What it boils down to isDiablo Immortal’s Legendary Gems. Blizzard had previously stated thatDiablo Immortalgear would not be tied to money, but these gems are functionally just as important. Legendary Gems represent one style of progression, alongside gear and XP level inDiablo Immortal, and it impacts endgame progression. As everyone knows, in a dungeon-crawling looter likeDiablo Immortal, the endgame is super important.
Because of this, Legendary Gems are super important in the game and are locked behind the Legendary crest loot boxes, where they’re not even guaranteed. For players who don’t invest money, the Crests can be obtained by completing dungeons, but that involves tons of time and no guarantee. And to fully max out a character, according to Bellular News' calculations, would come out to $110,000. Which is an absurd investment in any game. Of course, the thing is that microtransactions are always optional. No one should invest that much, but givenDiablo Immortalplayers likely expected it to some extent, choosing to invest some is by no means a bad thing. Yet, that’s where the predatory nature of this game design comes in.
Diablo Immortal’s Microtransactions Are Predatory by Design
If the aforementioned seems complex, that’s because it is. It’s designed in such a way that the game constantly incentivizes players with better progress for real-world money. It’s almost a combination of the worstpay-to-win tacticswith time-savers thrown in. After all, Bellular News also breaks it down and suggests it would take players ten years to max out their character. RPGs, looters, dungeon-crawlers, and other genres are often huge time investments. That was to be expected fromDiablo 2, Diablo 3, and eventuallyDiablo 4, so expecting time investments inDiablo Immortalis no stretch. But 10 years is a stretch. It’s even worst when put side by side with the actual cost of the microtransactions.
Not to mention,Diablo Immortalplayers have the identified level wallin the game—something not so uncommon. Essentially, it takes longer to level up after a certain point, at which the game’s grind becomes more tedious. It’s not that this particular section of the game results in players needing Legendary Gems, but that once players are doing this and/or reaching that end, those microtransactions look all the more enticing.
Thepity system, comparable to the one inGenshin Impact, makes the latter game known for its gacha elements look like a great system when put up againstDiablo Immortal. This pushes players into spending more, hoping for 5-star items forDiablo Immortalendgame builds, but statistically getting less bang for their buck.
Diablo Immortal Fans Are Not Happy About the Microtransactions
While someDiablo Immortalstreamers and fans seem okay with this microtransaction practice, many are reasonably upset. For comparison, the launch ofStar Wars: Battlefront 2was also mired in controversy due to its microtransactions. Of course, EA managed to turn this around and the reputation of the game today is much better, but when it launched, it was estimated to take over 4500 hours of gameplay (or half a year, give or take) or $2000 dollars to unlock all content. The microtransactions inDiablo Immortaltop this, especially when tied to such an important feature as endgame progression.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2was able to turn it around. Here’s hoping that Blizzard sees the reaction and adjustsDiablo Immortalaccordingly.
Diablo Immortalis available now on Android and iOS devices, with a Windows beta also underway.
MORE:Complete Guide To Diablo Immortal: Tips, Tricks, Builds, And More
