Soon after Blizzard announced a release date for it, we learned Diablo Immortal microtransactions are coming, and fans aren’t happy to learn some affect gameplay.
Despite the news that Diablo Immortal microtransactions are both cosmetic and gameplay influencing, Blizzard Entertainment claims (via PCGamesN) it won’t be unfair in gameplay.
“A lot of conversation went into our philosophy around it, like the optional purchases are always a bonus, they never circumvent core gameplay,” principal designer Joe Grubb said. “You still need skill to play your class, you still need to know how to play a barbarian in order to be successful as a barbarian.”
As Diablo Immortal is on both smartphones and Windows, there’s naturally a push for smartphone players to be able to quickly progress – even if that means buying boosters to speed up progression. Blizzard noted there’s no way to buy gear or experience points to make you level up faster, though.
“One of our core pillars is, ‘the best way to gain power in Diablo Immortal is to play the game,’” Grubb said. Blizzard noted games on both PC and mobile have gotten PC users more accustomed to free-to-pay monetization schemes, so they hope Diablo Immortal microtransactions will be more accepted.
“What’s amazing to me is that when you have a game like this you can play every aspect of this game for free,” franchise general manager Rod Fergusson said. “You can play the entire campaign for free, you can play raids and the Cycle of Strife and everything, for free. And we’re going to support it with new zones and dungeons and new character classes post-launch for free.”
Both development staff reiterated that Diablo Immortal microtransactions – whether they be an empowered battle pass, boosters, or what have you – are meant to be optional.
“They’re there for those that want them,” he says, “but the game at its core is designed to be accessible, and it’s entirely for free.”
Diablo Immortal is set to launch on June 2nd on Windows PC as well as infamously on smartphones, on both iOS (via the App Store) and Android (via Google Play).
