Since its release in June, Diablo Immortal has been the subject of criticism of its popular microtransactions, which players say can cost thousands of dollars without ever seeing the legendary gems they want from loot boxes. However, Blizzard CEO Mike Ybarra remains supportive of the game’s monetization.
In a new interview With the Los Angeles Times, Ybarra sided with the game’s microtransactions, which he claims were implemented to make the game more accessible. “When we think about monetization, at the highest level, it’s ‘How do we bring the free ‘Diablo’ experience to hundreds of millions of people where they can make 99.5% of it? literally everything in the game? ‘” The LA Times.
He also defends the way microtransactions are done, as they mostly come into play in the later stages of the game. Ybarra continued: “The monetization comes at the end of the game. “The philosophy is to always lead with great gameplay and ensure that hundreds of millions of people can go through the entire campaign without spending any money. From that perspective, I feel really good about it as an introduction to Diablo. “
Blizzard also says that most players don’t spend money on the game, though it won’t provide specific stats. Recently, however, the microtransactions of Diablo Immortal earned the company 24 million dollars in just two weeks.
Like many countries are turning to loot boxes as exploitation, recent headlines towing in Belgium and the Netherlands as it relies heavily on loot boxes.
We gave Diablo Immortal 6/10 in our reviewpraised some aspects of its gameplay but said it needed “a significant overhaul to monetization and has many limitations.”
Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.
