Blizzard CEO Mike Ybarra has defended the use of microtransactions in the new mobile/PC game Diablo Immortal.
Since its release this June, Diablo Immortal has been heavily criticised by players for its aggressive monetisation. Players can spent thousands without getting all the content they want in the game. And while you don’t have to spend to play the game, it left a bad taste in many people’s mouths.
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Blizzard’s CEO defended the microtransactions in the game. He said “The monetization comes in at the end game. The philosophy was always to lead with great gameplay and make sure that hundreds of millions of people can go through the whole campaign without any costs. From that standpoint, I feel really good about it as an introduction to Diablo.”
“When we think about monetization, at the very highest level it was, ‘How do we give a free ‘Diablo’ experience to hundreds of millions of people, where they can literally do 99.5% of everything in the game?’“
Diablo Immortal Performance
Despite his thoughts on the matter, players are still not happy with the monetisation in the game. Immortal has earned a reputation at this point which will be difficult to shake off.
However, the game has been a success for Blizzard despite the backlash. The game earned $50 million, making it a huge success for the company.
It earned $48.9 million by just the 30th day after launch. It generated $11.9 million in just the first week, earning $2.4 million on the first Saturday alone. It managed to get 10 million downloads, and outperformed the mobile release of Apex Legends.
The game isn’t playable everywhere though. Diablo Immortal was banned in the Netherlands and Belgium due to laws related to the ban of loot boxes.
While you’re here, be sure to check out our video of the week. 10 of the best PlayStation 1 games of all time are shown off. What is your favourite PS1 game?
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