This past weekend, Blizzard Entertainment’s Blizzcon 2018 was in full force.
And the biggest news story to come out of the convention?
How utterly sh*t the trailer for Diablo Immortal looks, a new mobile game from the gaming giants.
Yes, Diablo fans were astonished, perplexed and pissed off at the trailer reveal.
To give you further context, during a BlizzCon Q&A after the trailer was released, a fan
literally asked “Is this an out of season April Fool’s joke?”
According to an interview with Kotaku, Blizzard was entirely unprepared for the kinds of reactions
that fans of the franchise had over this mobile game.
They had anticipated a positive reaction; the game does look a whole lot like Diablo
III on the surface after all.
Yet fans are calling for the game’s cancellation after testing out the demo at BlizzCon, with
over 30,000 fans signing a petition.
And on YouTube, the trailer has received a whopping 388,000 dislikes, compared to only
15 thousand likes, as of this recording.
So what’s all the fuss about?
Well, according to that petition, it’s partially about Blizzard selling out.
“Blizzard does not care about the community anymore,” it reads.
“This is an outrage and a spit in the face of the Diablo community.”
Considering that Diablo has its roots in the PC gaming community, you can imagine why so
many loyal fans feel betrayed that this new game in the franchise is abandoning it’s
go-to console for something much more vapid and commercial.
Secondly, the Diablo fan base has been expecting news about Diablo 4.
So with Blizzard ending off the Convention by announcing there was a mobile coming out
rather than a confirmation of a remastered Diablo game or a preview of Diablo 4, well,
you can imagine how that didn’t bode well.
Thirdly, some fans noticed something pretty cringe worthy about the gameplay and trailer.
Blizzard co-developed the game with a Chinese company called NetEase.
NetEase is know for another mobile game called Crusaders of Light.
And guess what?
They look pretty darn similar, to the point where some have suggested that Diablo Immortal
may just be a skinned version of Crusaders of Light.
Ouch.
Speaking of gameplay, the fact that it hasn’t gotten the best of reviews is also rather
disheartening.
According to several individuals who got to give it a go at BlizzCon, the demo proved
to be quite easy, with enemies barely putting up a fight, and boss battles lacking much
of a challenge.
To most, it involved a whole lot of tapping, and not much of anything else.
It was quite simplified.
According to the principal designer of the game, Wyatt Cheng, much of what players got
to test out is subject to change, with more customization being unlocked slowly over time.
According to Cheng, the reason why the inventory was locked in the demo is because Blizzard
and NetEase are still sorting out how the loot system will work, and that the goal is
to be able to provide hardcore players more depth, include visual customization and also
allow players to customize their build further and better define their game.
Cheng also made some waves during the aforementioned Q&A session when he made a remark saying “Do
you guys not have phones?” which many fans took as Blizzard being SUPER TONE DEAF.
But it’s not all fans who are upset.
A thread on reddit reads, I quote, “Everyone is saying that Blizzard is out of touch with
their fans.
Except touch is the only way you’ll be able to play the next Diablo game.
Don’t you all have phones anyway.”
And it’s gotten over 4.7 thousand upvotes as of this recording.
So what does Blizzard have to say about this controversy, despite the fact that they were
surprised with the negative reaction?
The company has stated that they have, I quote, “multiple teams working on different Diablo
projects”, which seems to imply that a remastered game or Diablo 4 are still in the works.
Blizzard co-founder Allen Adham also mentioned of the fans in that same Kotaku interview,
I quote, “That passion, it’s actually what drives us, and we feel it too..
I understand their feeling and wish we could share more about all the amazing things we’re
doing, not just with the Diablo franchise but across the company as a whole.”
Now, what do all of you think?
Are you Diablo fans?
Are you disappointed with the reveal of Diablo Immortal?
Or are you still going to give it a shot regardless and test it out for yourself?
Give us a shout in those comments below and let us know what your thoughts are.
If you were one of the people who got to test it out at BlizzCon, give us a shout about
that as well!
And for all of your Blizzard and Diablo news, updates, lists, you name it, be sure to subscribe
to top 10 gaming.
In the meantime, thanks for watching friends!
I’ll catch you all in the next video!