Diablo Immortal was released on all mobile platforms on June 2, 2022, and rapidly became one of the most divisive titles on the market. While Blizzard’s newest addition to the gaming world received 8.5 million downloads in its first two weeks and over 10 million people have played Diablo Immortal to date, it wasn’t without its detractors.
Although many people dislike the mobile game’s microtransactions, Diablo Immortal has made over $24 million in revenue since its release. Diablo Immortal has become one of Blizzard’s most successful mobile games, coming in second only to their popular card game, Hearthstone.
Diablo Immortal continues to expand tremendously in its player count and the number of money players are dumping into the system to get rare things, according to AppMagic, a data-collection resource tool. Diablo Immortal, like other mobile-based games today, allows players to choose between two modes of play: pay-to-win or free-to-play.
The former includes players paying as much money as they see fit to stay competitive, while the latter entails gamers enjoying the product without spending a dollar while falling behind those who do. Even if it was only to show a point about how predatory the microtransaction system can be, some prominent content producers have gone the extra mile, spending upwards of $25,000 on Diablo Immortal.
Quin69, a popular Twitch broadcaster, went so far as to erase his character after spending an absurd amount of money on his first five-star gem, which can use to enhance weapons and increase statistical values in various areas.
Quin69 spent almost $20,000 in New Zealand Dollars on one of his broadcasts to demonstrate how insane the costs were for getting anything decent, going without a single five-star item.
He eventually got what he was looking for in a later broadcast, only to erase his character, reinstall Diablo Immortal, and push his viewers to do the same.
Despite the growing number of content makers emphasizing Blizzard’s practices, the game continues to gain popularity among new players and those who invest their hard-earned money in it.
Too far, the United States has contributed 43% of the game’s total income, with South Korea coming in second with 23%. The two nations also account for the highest share of the game’s player base, with the US accounting for 26% and South Korea for 11% of the total. Japan, Germany, and Canada account for 17 per cent of the total, with the remaining 17 per cent spread among 49 nations.
Due to the game’s commercialization, Reddit users have requested that Diablo Immortal be removed from the Diablo subreddit, escalating the controversy surrounding the mobile and PC release.
