Blizzard confirms it will not ban Diablo Immortal players in 'orb debt'

Diablo Immortal's Skarn holds a gem above his head

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard has confirmed that it will not ban Diablo Immortal accounts with negative orbs.

Some players recently found themselves with massive amounts of in-game debt following Blizzard's crackdown on using third-party sites to purchase Eternal Orbs, the game's primary form of currency. While the use of these sites goes against the game's terms of service, some players use them as they offer a better deal than buying orbs through the in-game store.

But Blizzard has confirmed it has no plans to ban players with a negative orb balance outright. In a post shared on the Diablo Immortal subreddit, the publisher says, "Having negative orbs on an account will not ban the Diablo Immortal account." It adds, "Gameplay limitations will apply to the account while the balance is negative though, so certain features will not be accessible until the orb balance reaches positive again."

blizzard_has_no_plans_to_ban_negative_orb_players from r/DiabloImmortal

Having a negative orb balance means players must clear their outstanding debt before any more in-game purchases can be made. This isn't good news for those who've spent vast amounts of cash on third-party orbs, including a player called Shia, who now faces a -2,491,025 orb debt that would take around $35,000 to pay off. Other punishments for having an orb balance in the red include the inability to join parties or engage in group activities.

Blizzard's decision hasn't been met with a warm response from fans who feel the company is being too lenient. "No excuse! I want them to be banned," says one Reddit user, while another wrote, "What a stupid policy by Blizzard".

Microtransactions in Diablo Immortal have prompted backlash since the game's launch earlier this year. Blizzard has defended the controversial feature saying most players aren't spending any money on the game. In contrast to this, a report released in July revealed that Diablo Immortal had made $100 million through mobile alone.

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Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.