Diablo Immortal

Diablo Immortal is an upcoming free-to-play action role-playing video game in the Diablo series, designed for online multiplayer on mobile devices. The game's plot takes place between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase, it was announced in late 2018 and is planned for release on Android and iOS with no set release date.

Diablo Immortal
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Blizzard Entertainment
Director(s)Wyatt Cheng
SeriesDiablo 
Platform(s)Android, iOS
Genre(s)Action role-playing, hack and slash
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Gameplay

Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play[1] massively multiplayer online (MMO) action role-playing game, designed for play on mobile devices.[2] It is an online-only game, requiring an internet connection during play.[3] The fast-paced[4] Immortal has many gameplay similarities to Diablo III,[5] and features the isometric graphic style common to games in the series.[4][6]

When creating a character, players select one of the game's six character classes: Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, and Crusader,[5] each with 12 unlockable skills (from which the player chooses five to use concurrently).[7] For example, the Barbarian class's skills include a slamming hammer and turning into a whirlwind, while the Wizard's skills include a beam of electricity that boomerangs back to its source, dealing damage twice.[4]

The game is designed for touchscreen devices, with virtual controls that overlay the display: a directional thumbstick and skill buttons. Skills generally aim towards the nearest enemy,[7] but the player can aim each skill by holding down its corresponding button.[4] Unlike other Diablo series games, mana and other class-specific resources have been removed from Immortal, in favor of a cooldown-based system for skills.[7] Performing attacks will also fill the character's "Ultimate meter", which, when filled, allows the use of more powerful attacks for a limited time period.[8]

Defeated enemies drop items ("loot") that can be equipped via a pop-up button or via the game's inventory screen.[7][8] Such equipment can also be made more powerful via the game's "rank up" system, which uses materials salvaged from other items to make "rare" and "legendary" level items more effective.[8] Such ranks also be transferred from one item to another, ensuring that resources can be invested in progress even prior to acquiring a specific item.[8] The game also features a cross-player "marketplace" in which players can buy and sell materials and gems; however, to avoid repeating controversial issues from the "auction house" feature in Diablo III, the marketplace does not allow purchase or trading of equipment items, which must be earned through gameplay.[9][10] The marketplace currency of "Platinum" can be acquired through free gameplay, the selling of materials, or via microtransaction; however, there is not an option to convert this back into currency outside of the game.[9][10]

In the style of other MMO games, players can join and leave groups of up to 4 players and play through "dynamic events" together,[2][11] and players may also encounter each other when exploring the game's world.[1] Many of the game's activities are designed to be small in size (Blizzard advise that dungeons will average 10-15 minutes in length),[12] so they can fit with the shorter play sessions common to mobile gaming.[8] Outside of the game's primary storyline missions, other activities include random quests which appear during exploration, Bounties (e.g. defeating specific enemies, or creating specific items), Challenge Rifts (randomly-generated dungeons with ever-increasing levels of difficulty), and Elder Rifts.[11][8] Elder Rifts are similar to Challenge Rifts, but can be modified using "crests" (which can be either earned via free gameplay, or acquired via microtransaction) for greater reward.[12]

Once a player's character has reached the game's level cap, they can achieve additional "Paragon levels", which can be invested into one of four categories (each with their own talent tree, and a total of 100 levels available): Survivor (increasing odds of survival), Treasure Hunter (increased odds of finding gold and other in-game items), Vanquisher (increasing combat effectiveness against non-player enemies), and Gladiator (increasing combat effectiveness against other players).[13] In addition to these level progressions, the game features a Battle Pass reward system tied to seasons, within which there are both free and paid tiers available.[6][12]

Plot

Part of the Diablo series, Immortal is set 5 years after the events of Diablo II, but prior to Diablo III.[12][5] Players begin their adventure in a small village which is being threatened by cultists and the undead, and lean from recurring Diablo character Deckard Cain that they must locate and destroy shards of the Worldstone across the world of Sanctuary in order to prevent a world-threatening disaster.[10][12] This journey begins in Wortham, which features areas including Ashworld Cemetery, Dark Wood, and the Shassar Sea.[12]

Development

Immortal is being co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase,[2] the latter being Blizzard's partner for Chinese market releases.[5] Blizzard intended to bring the core Diablo experience to the smartphone platform, making interface design choices to best fit that experience to the medium.[14] By designing for a smartphone gaming audience, Immortal was intended to reach demographics and geographic regions that use mobile phones as their primary gaming platform, and therefore may not otherwise interact with Diablo in other formats.[14]

The game was first announced during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon in November 2018.[15] It is planned for release on Android and iOS,[5] although no release date is currently set.[16] Blizzard also announced plans to keep the Immortal experience fresh after its initial release with the regular addition of stories and characters.[2] Shortly after the game's announcement, Blizzard began allowing players to pre-register on the game's website for admission to playtest the future beta version.[2]

In February 2019, NetEase's CFO, Yang Zhaoxuan, stated that the game was "pretty much ready" and still planned for a 2019 release; however, he also stated that Blizzard would be the ones to determine the exact release timetable.[17]

In November 2019, during BlizzCon, Blizzard posted an update on its official blog, confirming that Immortal was still in development; however, it stated that there was still no specific release date for the game, because "It takes significant time to meet the Blizzard quality level we’re aiming for, and we have a lot of ambitious goals for Diablo Immortal." Additional details confirmed in the post included that the game would feature six playable classes (Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard) and chargeable, class-specific 'ultimate' abilities.[18]

At the start of August 2020, at ChinaJoy, Blizzard and NetEase released a new gameplay trailer for Immortal, showcasing each of the six playable classes, and featuring the first appearance of Baal, one of the main antagonists from Diablo II and its expansion, Lord of Destruction.[19] The trailer also revealed improvements to the game's graphics and character models, which had been implemented since the release of previous promotional material.[20]

Reception

Pre-release

Response to Immortal's announcement at BlizzCon 2018 was largely negative.[14][21] While traditional gaming audiences often express skepticism towards mobile versions of game franchises, the Diablo series community's discontent was compounded by their anticipation for a larger announcement.[5][14] They expressed their discontent through online channels, likening Immortal to a reskin of one of NetEase's prior games, Crusaders of Light.[5] Later in the same day, developers participated in a Q&A with attendees. Two particular questions leveled at Wyatt Cheng, Principal Game Designer at Blizzard, drew significant attention from media and audiences alike, with one attendee asking if the announcement was an "out of season April Fools' joke",[22][23] and another asking if there was a possibility for a PC release, leading to the crowd booing when the answer was negative.[24][25][26] Blizzard responded the following day, stating that Immortal is but one Diablo series game in active development, and pointing to the company's multi-platform development experience and the success of the mobile version of Hearthstone as evidence of their capacity to overcome uncertainty and do right by their core audience.[14] They also addressed a rumor that they had withheld announcement of a main Diablo sequel due to the negative response at Immortal's reveal:

"First off we want to mention that we definitely hear our community. We generally don’t comment on rumors or speculation, but we can say that we didn’t pull any announcements from BlizzCon this year or have plans for other announcements. We do continue to have different teams working on multiple unannounced Diablo projects, and we look forward to announcing when the time is right."[27]

Following the announcement, parent company Activision Blizzard's stock fell 7% on the first weekday of trading.[28][29][30][31][32] As of December 2, 2020, the two official trailers on YouTube stand at 341 thousand dislikes to 27 thousand likes for the gameplay trailer,[33] and 765 thousand dislikes to 31 thousand likes for the cinematic trailer.[34]

Previews based on the game's earliest demos in 2018 approved of its controls,[4][7] its interface having been tested by prior NetEase games,[7] though Polygon noted difficulties with the precision aiming of abilities.[4] Multiple reviewers of the 2018 demo felt that where Immortal captured the series' look and feel, it omitted some of its core tenets,[4][7] or as Polygon put it, Diablo's "soul".[4] Although the mobile game captured the basic Diablo experience, the reviewers questioned whether the new entry had enough new content to remain fresh.[4][7] In these early previews of the game, newly equipped items did not change the visual appearance of the player's character, which received criticism; however, this feature was added by the time of the game's subsequent alpha demo.[7][8]

In contrast to previews from 2018, previews based on the game's new alpha demo released in December 2020[6] (featuring its first 45 character levels and four of the six playable classes)[1] featured a higher level of positivity: IGN, described Immortal as offering a "fully fledged new Diablo" experience, and "not a watered down mobile lookalike."[8] Specific callout was made of the fact that, despite Immortal being a free-to-play game, there were no core gameplay elements (such as missions, character progression, or loot items) which required the spending of players' money.[8] Other areas of praise included the game's combat and art direction (including the look of different equipment items on character models); however, the lack of controller support was identified as a shortcoming.[8] Game Informer's reviewer explicitly stated that the game's new alpha "looks, feels, and plays much closer to a core Diablo title" than the previous demos they had seen (a message reinforced by The Verge, who described it as "[feeling] like a proper Diablo game");[10] however, they felt that whilst the game had a number of positives, it made them wish it was available on a non-mobile platform, without virtual touch controls.[11]

References
  1. Gilliam, Ryan (December 17, 2020). "Diablo Immortal is a real Diablo game, and its alpha starts today". Polygon. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. Farokhmanesh, Megan (November 2, 2018). "Diablo is getting a 'full-fledged' mobile RPG". The Verge. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. Dwan, Hannah (November 4, 2018). "Diablo Immortal cannot be played offline". VG247. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  4. Gilliam, Ryan (November 2, 2018). "Diablo: Immortal feels like a Diablo game, just not one that's for me". Polygon. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. Good, Owen S. (November 2, 2018). "Diablo fans call Diablo: Immortal a reskin of a free-to-play mobile game". Polygon. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. Tassi, Paul (December 19, 2020). "'Diablo Immortal' Alpha Impressions: More Than A Meme". Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  7. Grayson, Nathan (November 2, 2018). "Diablo Immortal Is A Simplified Diablo—Maybe Too Simplified". Kotaku. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. Shea, Cam (January 14, 2021). "Why Diablo Immortal's Alpha Was a Hell of a Good Time". IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. Gilliam, Ryan (December 17, 2020). "Diablo Immortal will have a player marketplace, but not an 'auction house'". Polygon. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  10. Webster, Andrew (December 17, 2020). "Diablo Immortal plays like, well, Diablo on your phone". The Verge. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. Tack, Daniel (December 17, 2020). "Diablo Immortal Alpha Impressions". Game Informer. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. Mejia, Ozzie (December 17, 2020). "Diablo Immortal begins rolling out technical alpha today". Shacknews. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  13. Kobek, Patrick (January 3, 2021). "Diablo Immortal Does Paragon Levels With A Twist". TheGamer. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  14. McWhertor, Michael (November 3, 2018). "Blizzard responds to Diablo: Immortal backlash". Polygon. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  15. Pereira, Chris (November 2, 2018). "Diablo Immortal, A New RPG, Announced For Mobile At BlizzCon 2018". GameSpot. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  16. Welsh, Oli (November 2, 2018). "There's an all-new Diablo game called Diablo Immortal". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  17. "NetEase Quashes Talk of Chinese Gaming Approval Suspensions". Bloomberg News. February 21, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  18. Boyle, Emma (November 2, 2019). "BlizzCon brings new Diablo Immortal details". TechRadar. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  19. Gilliam, Ryan (August 3, 2020). "Blizzard shows off new Diablo Immortal gameplay". Polygon. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  20. Morics, Peter (August 2, 2020). "Diablo: Immortal's New Gameplay Trailer Shows Off Improved Graphics". ScreenRant. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  21. "The Moment Diablo Died At Blizzcon 2018 (Hardcore Death Highlight)". YouTube. November 3, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  22. Knoop, Joseph (November 3, 2018). "'Is this an April Fools joke?' Blizzard fans are having a fit over the new Diablo mobile game". The Daily Dot. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  23. Becht, Eli (November 2, 2018). "WATCH: Fan Asks If Diablo: Immortal Is April Fool's Joke". Heavy. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  24. Kuchera, Ben (November 5, 2018). "Diablo: Immortal broke the unspoken rules of Blizzard, and BlizzCon". Polygon. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  25. Khan, Asif (November 2, 2018). "Fans react to Diablo Immortal like disrespectful edgelords at BlizzCon 2018's Q&A". ShackNews. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  26. Workman, Robert (November 4, 2018). "'Diablo Immortal' Gets Heavy Ire From Die-Hard Blizzard Fans". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  27. Wade, Jessie (November 21, 2018). "Update: Blizzard Says It 'Didn't Pull Any Announcements From BlizzCon'". IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  28. Tassi, Paul (November 6, 2018). "'Diablo Immortal' BlizzCon Backlash Leads To Activision Stock Slide". Forbes. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  29. Noonan, Keith (November 11, 2018). "Fans Hate Activision Blizzard's Newest Game. Should Investors Be Worried?". The Motley Fool. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  30. Taylor, Haydn (November 6, 2018). "Activision Blizzard stock tumbles following Diablo Immortal backlash". GameIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  31. Makuch, Eddie (November 5, 2018). "Activision Blizzard Stock Drops Following Diablo Drama At BlizzCon". GameSpot. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  32. Scott-Jones, Richard (November 6, 2018). "Activision-Blizzard's stock crashes 7% after Diablo: Immortal Reveal". PCGamesN. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  33. "Diablo Immortal Gameplay Trailer". YouTube. November 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  34. "Diablo Immortal Cinematic Trailer". YouTube. November 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

Further reading
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