The mobile game Diablo Immortal (iOS, Android, PC Beta version) has become a financial success for Blizzard after 2 weeks. With this, the gaming developer has fulfilled a long-held plan, especially in the summer slump of 2022: They successfully brought a large core game to mobile. In South Korea, studios like NCSoft managed to do this 5 years ago, in 2017. We ask: What impact could the success of Diablo Immortal have on Blizzard and Diablo 4? MeinMMO author Schuhmann gives his assessment.
Is Diablo Immortal a success? This is what we can assume at the moment:
- According to data from AppMagic, the game has already generated $24 million in its first 2 weeks on iOS and Android – with the game being particularly successful in the USA, South Korea, and also in Germany
- However, it is important to note: The actual revenues are significantly higher, as Diablo is an established and successful PC title, and the PC revenues are not even included in App Magic’s numbers
- Additionally, it is assumed that the market in China will be just as strong as in the currently dominant market, the USA (44% of revenues). The revenues from Diablo Immortal could still increase by 50% solely from mobile when the release in China occurs. The China release was postponed due to last-minute issues
However, it is still unclear whether Diablo Immortal will be a flash in the pan and fade away or become a lasting success for Blizzard. However, since Diablo Immortal continuously earns money with aggressive monetization and not only through the actual sale of the game, it can be assumed that it will be profitable.
Ultimately, it can already be said: Diablo Immortal is a success for Blizzard, as they have achieved the goal of successfully launching a “core brand” of Blizzard on mobile in the West and monetizing it through a “Gacha system,” something usually only seen in Asian mobile games.
We show you the 6 classes of Diablo Immortal – in our tier list for Diablo Immortal you can see who is currently leading:
In the summer slump of 2022, Activision Blizzard finally implements its 5-year plan
Was that really a goal of Blizzard? It was the declared goal of Activision Blizzard to strengthen, expand, and bring its core gaming brands to new platforms, especially mobile. In every financial report of the last years, it is stated that Activision Blizzard wants to expand its core brands:
From Call of Duty, a shooter that used to be released once a year, we got:
- A main game “Call of Duty,” which continues to be released once a year
- A mobile game “Call of Duty Mobile,” meant to be played on the go and aimed at attracting a new audience
- A free-to-play game “Call of Duty: Warzone,” which remains relevant throughout the year and also appeals to fans of “live service games” who have been captivated by Fortnite
From Diablo 3, something similar is supposed to become:
- The main game “Diablo 4,” which will be developed further over the years
- The mobile/free-to-play variant “Diablo Immortal,” which will be fully monetized through the cash shop
- The classic variant “Diablo 2 Resurrected” for nostalgics
These plans and a stronger focus on mobile have been recognizable at Blizzard for over 5 years and are openly communicated to shareholders:
Mobile like in South Korea as a way out of the crisis
How did Blizzard come up with the idea? They looked at South Korea: In recent years, the mobile gaming market in already established gaming markets around the world has grown strongly. In 2018, revenue in mobile gaming grew by 21.1% and became the “fastest-growing market in the world.”
The development of the largest MMORPG companies in South Korea (NCSOft) and in the USA (Blizzard) ran relatively parallel until 5 years ago, until 2017.
Blizzard:
- had great success as a PC brand for years and even conquered China with its games.
- However, it suddenly struggled with “new games” from the mid-2010s: WoW’s successor Titan was canceled, the MOBA Heroes of the Storm turned out to be a flop despite all efforts, and the success of Overwatch lasted only 2 years before Fortnite came and undermined the hype.
- Noticed that WoW was suddenly aging. Diablo 3 was not further developed; Starcraft was dropped as a brand: The glory threatened to fade.
NCSoft in South Korea:
- had great successes with PC MMORPGs like Lineage, Lineage 2, Blade and Soul, or Aion for years. With Guild Wars 2, they even had a foothold in the West.
- Suddenly struggled in the mid-2010s: WildStar was a flop in Europe, existing PC MMORPGs were slowly running out of steam, and the new game “Master X Master” was a total flop. New games were hardly developed.
- Suddenly stopped making new games. Project TL, which was supposed to become the new MMORPG flagship as “Lineage 3,” got stuck in development hell. A worldwide release planned for 2017 was canceled.
The remaining hope for PC MMORPG fans from NCSoft:
NCSoft recovers overnight with mobile titles – Blizzard slides into the crisis
What has happened since then? In the 5 years since 2017, the development curve of NCSoft and Blizzard has drifted apart enormously:
Blizzard has practically not developed any new games, only brought
