Diablo 4 fans are growing increasingly concerned about how Blizzard plans to monetize the upcoming RPG following its messy Overwatch 2 and Diablo Immortal launches.
As pointed out in this specific post, some of these concerns have originated from Overwatch 2's recently launched Halloween event. If you didn't know, players - who were once able to earn limited-edition skins during the annual event in Overwatch 1 - are now having to pay up to $20 for them.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how Blizzard has monetized its hero shooter and it's done nothing to reassure fans of its other IPs, such as Diablo. In one Reddit post, a user wrote: "After seeing the dreadful monetization happening in Overwatch I fear for Diablo 4." It's not just Overwatch 2 that has started this kind of conversation though.
A few months ago, another user in the Diablo subreddit also pointed out that Diablo Immortal also has its own fair share of monetization techniques and that because of this; Blizzard could very well have a similar approach to Diablo 4. Especially since shortly after its launch, Diablo Immortal reportedly made $100 million through mobile alone.
Not everyone agrees with this theory though. One fellow Diablo fan took to the comments of the post above to explain that it makes more sense to "diversify the portfolio", instead of making the same thing again. What's more likely to happen, according to this fan, is that Blizzard will continue making money from its live service mobile game, Diablo Immortal, and then please the rest of the player base with a full-price AAA Diablo 4.
Since Diablo 4 is due to release in 2023, we don't have to wait too much longer to find out how Blizzard plans to approach it. While Blizzard has addressed these concerns in the past when it said Diablo 4's "much more ambitious" seasons won't be pay-to-win, it appears fans are yet to be convinced.
Need something else to play in the meantime? Take a look at our best games 2022 list to see what you may have missed this year.
