The announcement of Diablo Immortal shocked fans at BlizzCon who were waiting for Diablo 4. Our author Schuhmann says: The horror scenarios are exaggerated. There are good reasons why Diablo Immortal will be better than feared.
This is why Diablo Immortal has such a hard time: The mobile game was announced under the worst possible conditions imaginable:
- as the main event at BlizzCon 2018
- while fans were hoping for something new for Diablo 4
- and before PC core gamers, who reject mobile games because they equate them with casual games like Candy Crush
The negative reaction of the players was enormous and Blizzard has since been in “damage control” mode. Even more porcelain has been broken than during the actual announcement.
This is the fear of the players: Players fear that Diablo Immortal could become a “typical Asia mobile game.” With this term, Diablo fans associate a horror scenario that they cannot reconcile with their image of Blizzard.
Mobile games from Asia are notorious for:
- weak gameplay
- an intrusive cash shop with gambling elements
- cheap production values
- that they all look the same and play the same
- and that they are only intended for the Asian market, which operates completely differently than the Western market
Blizzard immediately contradicts the gravest accusation
Asia mobile games all look the same: The biggest accusation that arose after BlizzCon was that “Diablo Immortal” is merely a clone of an existing NetEase game.
Blizzard is developing Diablo Immortal together with its Chinese partners, NetEase.
Indeed, at first glance, many mobile RPGs from Asia look alike. As Blizzard itself admits to the Korean site Inven, not only do NetEase’s action RPGs resemble each other, but the action RPGs from China and South Korea overall. They have many things in common, especially in the interface.
Nevertheless, Blizzard insists that everything for Diablo Immortal will be newly created. As soon as players see the inventory, the items, or gameplay, they will feel as if they are playing a new Diablo.
Question: Which of the 3 mobile games here is Diablo Immortal supposed to be a clone of?
Answer: Allegedly from “Endless of God,” because that is from NetEase. The other two are from the South Korean developer Netmarble.
What’s behind it: The similarities arise because mobile games have standardized controls with thumbs. Therefore, the important skills are located at the bottom right, and the movement actions are controlled by a control element at the bottom left of the screen.
This typical standardized mobile look indeed makes all mobile games look alike at first glance.
That’s why Diablo Immortal will be different from “typical mobile RPGs”
There seems to be a lot of reasons to believe that Diablo Immortal is an “off-the-shelf Asia RPG.” However, there are several reasons why Diablo Immortal will be a “different game”.
A typical feature is missing: Blizzard has already announced that it will not include “autoplay” in Diablo Immortal. “Autoplay” is an essential part of typical Asia RPGs. There, characters run around on their own while the player is away from the tablet or phone. A type of “autopilot” takes over control of the character, which slashes through hordes of monsters.
For some, Asia mobile MMOs feel like “manager games where you coach your hero.”
Simply the absence of autoplay makes it clear that it won’t be an “off-the-shelf action RPG.”
Cash shop won’t be that bad: Moreover, Blizzard can’t afford to release a typical “cash grab” game. It would damage the company’s reputation.
Diablo Immortal will surely rely on a cash shop, but it will be a “tamer” cash shop like in Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, or Hearthstone. This is also evident from the first statements made by Blizzard employees that they are orienting themselves to these games.
A typical “cash shop” from Asia RPGs would be hard to imagine in a Blizzard title.
NetEase is not a typical clone factory: Diablo Immortal is being developed by Blizzard together with the Chinese publisher NetEase. Although NetEase has indeed made a fortune with “clones” of well-known games, that is only part of the company’s concept:
- It also operates PC MMORPGs that have been successful for over a decade.
- NetEase is a huge Chinese corporation that has made deals with SpatialOs and Bungie. In these deals, NetEase has invested amounts ranging from 50 million US dollars (SpatialOS) to 100 million US dollars (Bungie). They are quite innovative and aimed at the West.
- NetEase has also been a partner of Blizzard for 10 years and is not the “typical Asian developer.”
NetEase will not develop Diablo Immortal alone, but together with Blizzard. Many developers there have gained experience with mobile games, as Blizzard states.
Not just for Asia: Diablo Immortal is explicitly not just for Asia. While NetEase will take care of distribution there, in the rest of the world, Blizzard will handle it themselves.
This makes it clear that Diablo Immortal is also aimed at the Western market. The story of the game will be part of the official Diablo lore. It takes place during the 20-year gap between Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction and Diablo 3.
It is hard to imagine that Blizzard would consciously allow a brand to be severely damaged by a weak, unsuitable game.
Important project for Blizzard: Blizzard aims to establish mobile games in the West. This is a trend in the entire Western gaming industry, “core gaming” on mobile in the West. In South Korea and China, this has already been achieved, while here in the West, mobile gaming is still associated with “casual games” like Candy Crush.
With Diablo, Blizzard has chosen an important brand to open up the market. Blizzard aims to develop “core mobile games” for Activision, while “King” continues to cater to the casual sector.
This is an important strategic decision to make core mobile gaming big in the West.
It would be counterproductive to offer cheap goods here. That would close the door they are trying to open.
Concerns are understandable, but exaggerated
First play: One can well understand the disappointment and anger of players. The skepticism is absolutely justified given the reputation mobile games enjoy. However, one should not completely forget who Blizzard is and what the brand stands for.
Surely, Diablo Immortal will not become the game that converts every PC core gamer into a mobile player. No game will achieve that, and no one wants that either. The horror scenarios currently circulating are exaggerated.
Diablo Immortal has been announced under the worst possible conditions. Nevertheless, it is hard to imagine that it will be anywhere near as bad as many fear.
It will take a while before we can really play and evaluate Diablo Immortal.
Maybe it will be a small appetizer until eventually Diablo 4 arrives, which core gamers are waiting for. And until then, one can pass the time with another game:
