Diablo Immortal, Blizzard’s mobile-focused debut in its action-RPG brand, has already made over $300 million in revenue, according to sources. For context, the extremely successful Raid: Shadow Legends generated record revenues in 2021, surpassing $370 million. This puts Diablo Immortal, which just came out this summer, far ahead of the curve, at least commercially.
Around its debut, the game was the object of scathing criticism and popular response. Even while many reviews praised rewarding and engaging gameplay comparable to the Diablo franchise, gamers were angered with the game’s blatant microtransaction economy and took to review bombing Diablo Immortal in protest. Blizzard Entertainment president, Mike Ybarra, defended the microtransactions, noting that the majority of gamers don’t spend anything at all. That didn’t assuage disgruntled fans, however, who are confronted with a system that forcefully encourages people to spend real money or else cope with a tremendous grind.
Despite unfavourable gamer reaction, the plan appears to be paying off for the firm, in a very literal sense. 5 months after its original release, Diablo Immortal has already grossed a total of over $300 million globally. This total comprises of $155.6 million received from the game’s first launch in 60 countries plus a stunning $144.7 million from a separate China-only launch managed by NetEase Games. Chinese publisher NetEase works with several prominent names in gaming and is second only to Tencent when it comes to the country’s main video game firms.
It’s crucial to remember that the Chinese release of the game was nearly a month and a half after its release elsewhere. Even yet, the Chinese income virtually mirrored that of the rest of the globe. The nation has the most amount of Diablo Immortal downloads of any area with 4.15 million, out of a worldwide total of 21.4 million. That’s around 19% of all downloads, but when contrasted with how much money those gamers are spending on the game, it illustrates how vital the Chinese gaming business is.
Diablo Immortal has been featured among the worst microtransactions in gaming history, although despite the massive industry, media and fan condemnation, the financial benefit can’t be ignored. And it might take the firm down a troubling road, one many gamers are already witnessing with Blizzard assets. If the pay-to-win, or at least pay-to-win-faster, model is succeeding financially, gamers are certainly wondering how much more of it they will see. Ybarra may point out that the money collected only comes from a tiny fraction of players, but it also suggests that an equally small amount of players are comfortable with the decision to monetize so aggressively. The pleasure of the majority of gamers may consequently be reduced.
Diablo Immortal isn’t the only Blizzard product attempting to push through worrisome microtransactions, though. The exorbitant costs in the Overwatch 2 store have been the target of considerable anger as well. Fans can only hope this is not a road the corporation decides to double down on, but with revenue like Diablo Immortal’s, chances seem remote.
