Blizzard is facing a violent backlash following the release of its massive multiplayer mobile game diablofans Immortal at Blizzcon yesterday. Fans refer to the announcement as a “slap in the face”. Most of the anger comes from Blizzard, who announced in August that “there are several Diablo projects in the works”, fueling speculation about Diablo 4 or a Diablo remaster to be announced at Blizzcon. It was later clarified that it “wouldn’t be ready to announce all of our projects,” but many gamers still believe that it is “disrespectful” to build up all this hype and then reveal a mobile game – especially to those who are up for participation have paid.
The game’s movie trailer above received more than 200,000 dislikes, compared to just 7,000 likes. The top comment claimed by RedPill Shark has been deleted eight times: “No king rules my son forever.” I’ve played your games for the past 20 years and I’ll never forget my first encounter with Thrall … goodbye. You changed your old friend. “
Worse than Nothing
The top two rated posts on the Diablo subreddit cite the mobile game “worse than nothing,” “a slap in the face,” and accuse Blizzard of “spat in the face” of the community.
Another post points out how awkward the silence was at Blizzcon after the reveal, and a clip from a Q&A at the event where a fan asks if the announcement was “an April Fool’s Day out of season” has been in caught on in social media.
The fan who asked the question later posted it on Reddit as user Dontinquire (h / t Eurogamer) and said he felt “terrible” for Diablo principle designer Wyatt Cheng, who had to make the comment on stage. “I think he’s doing a great job. The problem is, in a large organization, every team member represents the company,” said Dontinquire.
“I don’t want to humiliate individual developers. I’ve been a hardcore Blizzard fan for over 20 years. I was just incredibly disappointed with the way Diablo fans were treated on all fronts. This game should be canceled and Blizzard should.” be ashamed of it. “
NetEase
Fans have also claimed the game is a reskin from Crusaders of Light, another game from NetEase that partnered with Blizzard in the development of Diablo Immortal. You can see some similarities between the interfaces in the clip below.
Blizzard responded to this allegation. Speaking to IGN, Cheng said, “We’ve partnered with NetEase Games from the start to make it all in Diablo Immortal. We have artists on our side, they have artists on their side, and we work together as a team, as a partnership, to create everything about Diablo Immortal. The environments, the characters, the skills, the story. “
Cheng also responded to more general criticism of the reveal, saying, “I don’t think cell phones should be a dirty word.”
“When it came to creating a new Diablo game and taking the opportunity to work with NetEase to make it happen, the technology is where our phones can do more than ever and deliver great gaming experiences.” ” he said.
