Blizzard finally revealed a brand new Diablo game! Fans were collectively happy for all of about twenty seconds of the Blizzcon gameplay trailer before the details of this new title were announced: Diablo Immortal will be released exclusively for smartphones.
As a largely PC-based community, fans immediately produced a large amount of backlash across many forums. This outcry was not restricted to the online sphere, however. Blizzcon itself had its share of dissatisfied fans, with one even asking if the reveal was an “out of season April Fools’ joke”. The fans attending Blizzcon were particularly burned, as the reveal came as a rather un-flashy finish at the end of an event that was not cheap to get into.
Diablo Immortal is being developed by Chinese developer NetEase in partnership with Blizzard. NetEase, an enormous company, have had hands in the development in all sorts of areas, but mainly focus on the Chinese presence of Blizzard’s games. They have been in partnership for over ten years, meaning they are likely to be well-integrated with Blizzard’s plans.
The reveal came as a rather un-flashy finish at the end of an event that was not cheap to get into.
One of the most scathing pieces of criticism aimed at the reveal is that the game is seemingly a ‘reskin’ of another NetEase title, Crusaders of Light. These claims are based on the similarities shared between the two games’ interfaces as well as the “massively multiplayer” aspect that the reveal advertised.
“Multiple projects” were confirmed for the Diablo franchise by Blizzard before Blizzcon, but they will have to reveal something rather impressive in order to regain the favour of fans. This wouldn’t be the first time either, as Diablo III fans will know. Dissatisfied fans will have to wait a little longer if they still hope for the rumoured Diablo IV or a remaster of the original.
