{"id":113012,"date":"2018-11-06T18:14:34","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T18:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=113012"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:47:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:47:27","slug":"diablo-immortal-bombs-with-blizzard-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/diablo-immortal-bombs-with-blizzard-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Diablo Immortal bombs with Blizzard fans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Blizzard&#8217;s announcement of the mobile game Diablo Immortal has set the internet aflame. This video shows the reaction to the game&#8217;s announcement at BlizzCon 2018:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/73yT9UXJLT0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The game&#8217;s cinematic and gameplay trailers have both received\u00a0<em>hundreds of thousands\u00a0<\/em>of dislikes on YouTube, as shown below.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-113018\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/dislikes-diablo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"877\" height=\"569\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/dislikes-diablo.png 877w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/dislikes-diablo-300x195.png 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/dislikes-diablo-768x498.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 877px) 100vw, 877px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Why is Blizzard, a historically beloved company with a famously passionate fanbase, facing the brunt of the biggest video game outrage in recent memory? There are a few factors that we&#8217;ll attempt to break down.<\/p>\n<h3>The BlizzCon Reveal<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-113025\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/blizzcon-2018-wow-patch-8-2-00004.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For those unaware, <a href=\"https:\/\/blizzcon.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BlizzCon<\/a> is an annual conference held in Anaheim, California that&#8217;s a celebration of all things Blizzard. The con is a major event, complete with game reveals, cosplay, Q&amp;A sessions with developers, and even concerts. Tickets to the event are very expensive, so the audience is made up of the most hardcore Blizzard fans.<\/p>\n<p>Blizzard had hinted at the appearance of some sort of Diablo news at this year&#8217;s BlizzCon, leaving many fans of the acclaimed series to believe that the h<strong>ighly-anticipated Diablo 4<\/strong> would be announced.<\/p>\n<p>Once the game was onstage to be a mobile game, <strong>fans were furious.<\/strong> The developers were met with boos after answering a few questions, as seen in the video above. The fact that fans (who paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars to attend) booed loudly displays the huge distaste for Diablo Immortal within the hardcore Blizzard fanbase. To an outsider, it may be confusing to see such intense outrage directed towards a new game in the Diablo series, even a mobile game, since the fans have been requesting a new game for years. Basically, the core Blizzard demographic and mobile gamers don&#8217;t overlap at all.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Diablo III\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-logo-l,f_auto,dpr_auto\/p\/d651fb48-96d3-11e6-b4a9-00163ed833e7\/3932371070\/diablo-iii-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Diablo III<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/diablo-iii.en.softonic.com\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--70\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"70\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"7\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">7<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/diablo-iii.en.softonic.com\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Note: Apparently, Blizzard planned to announce that Diablo 4 was in development after the reveal of Diablo Immortal, but they decided not to.<\/p>\n<h3>Hardcore Blizzard fans are not mobile gamers<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_113027\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-113027\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-113027\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"950\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone.jpg 950w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/hearthstone-304x170.jpg 304w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-113027\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pictured: A screenshot of the mobile version of Heartstone, Blizzard&#8217;s only real successful foray into mobile gaming<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For its entire existence, Blizzard has been a company that has focused on <strong>the PC gaming market.<\/strong> Its most popular games, including <a href=\"https:\/\/worldofwarcraft.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">World of Warcraft<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playoverwatch.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Overwatch<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/us.diablo3.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Diablo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/starcraft2.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Starcraft<\/a>,\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/playhearthstone.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hearthstone<\/a>, are played either exclusively or most commonly on PC. Diablo itself is a franchise that is most commonly linked with PC gaming and mouse + keyboard controls. Blizzard fans are apparently not at all psyched to play Diablo on a small phone\/tablet screen with touchscreen controls. Since mobile gaming is a much more casual market than PC, some fans feel that Blizzard is ignoring its loyal core fanbase in favor of a wider, more casual audience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/08\/world-of-warcraft-game-192.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">The 8 best addons for World of Warcraft<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/the-8-best-addons-for-world-of-warcraft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/the-8-best-addons-for-world-of-warcraft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>Fans have no faith in the developer<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-113029 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/diablo-immortal-gameplay.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Blizzard itself isn&#8217;t developing Diablo Immortal. Development is instead being handled by <strong>Chinese company NetEase<\/strong>, who has developed poorly received MMO&#8217;s like Crusaders of Light and Endless of God. Fans were quick to point out the similarities between Diablo Immortal&#8217;s UI and Crusaders of Light&#8217;s, leading many to speculate that <strong>the game was simply a reskin of CoL.<\/strong> Blizzard has denied this, saying that Diablo Immortal is a brand new game being built from the ground up.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Kotaku, they acknowledged the UI similarities and said: &#8220;I want to assure you that\u00a0<em>Diablo Immortal<\/em>\u00a0is purpose-built from the ground up. In the East, that control method is becoming ubiquitous, and it\u2019s becoming ubiquitous because it\u2019s very natural, and it feels great. Less so in the West, but we\u2019re now starting to see some games that are bringing that mechanic to the West. So it\u2019s us taking inspiration from some of the work they\u2019ve done already.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Grindy, loot-heavy MMO&#8217;s like Crusaders of Light are extremely popular in Asia, but their popularity is lukewarm in the West. It remains to be seen if Diablo Immortal will take inspiration from these games, but fans are not optimistic.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also the issue of monetization. While Blizzard hasn&#8217;t announced how it plans to monetize Diablo Immortal, mobile games are notorious for bleeding the player dry with microtransactions. One of the biggest reasons Crusaders of Light was panned in the West was because of its rampant microtransactions and pay-to-win structure, leaving fans worried that Diablo Immortal will follow in its footsteps.<\/p>\n<p><em>What do you think about Diablo Immortal? Is the controversy deserved? Or are fans overreacting? Leave us a comment!<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [playwire] does not match the conditions -->\n<div class=\"sc-related-articles-white\">\r\n<p class=\"sc-related-articles-white__title\">More about Blizzard<\/p>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"How to use endorsements in Overwatch \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/how-to-use-endorsements-in-overwatch\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/07\/ana-screenshot-002.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>How to use endorsements in Overwatch \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"3 ways to get better at Overwatch \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/3-ways-to-get-better-at-overwatch\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/07\/moira.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>3 ways to get better at Overwatch \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"Who is Hammond, the Next Overwatch Hero? \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/who-is-hammond-the-next-overwatch-hero\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/Wrecking-Ball-3.png)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>Who is Hammond, the Next Overwatch Hero? \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"6 Tips to get started in Competitive Overwatch \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/6-tips-to-get-started-in-competitive-overwatch\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Overwatch_picture-1-HarryRex.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>6 Tips to get started in Competitive Overwatch \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you alienate a legion of fans? This is how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9153,"featured_media":113013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015,3150],"tags":[1512,1513,1511,1514],"usertag":[784,787],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-113012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized","tag-blizzard","tag-blizzcon","tag-diablo-immortal","tag-overwatch","usertag-gamer","usertag-gamer-desktop"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327088,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113012\/revisions\/327088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113012"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=113012"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=113012"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=113012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}