It's been six years since "Diablo 3" launched on PC to critical and commercial acclaim. Of course "Diablo" fans have smartphones. "Do you guys not have phones?" posits that people are only upset because "Diablo" is getting a new game on mobile. Worse still, Blizzard seemingly doesn't understand why fans are upset. Though Blizzard hasn't said as much explicitly, the "Diablo" mobile game appears to be free-to-play: a model of game pricing that's notorious for optimizing profit over gameplay. More specifically, it's seen by the community - many of which have been playing the "Diablo" franchise for decades - as a step away from the franchise's past as a PC game, and a step toward the profit-focused world of mobile game design. The question was asked in jest, but it served as a perfect embodiment of the contention between Blizzard's announcement and its community: In Blizzard's eyes, "Diablo Immortal" is one of several new games in the "Diablo" franchise In the community's eyes, "Diablo Immortal" is another move toward turning "Diablo" into a series focused on profit over gameplay. ![]() That didn't go over so well. He rhetorically asked attendees as much in a moment of mild frustration, and he accidentally became a meme. Will the game ever come to other platforms, or is it smartphone exclusive? It was this that resulted in Cheng asking a question of attendees: "Do you guys not have phones?" The camel in this situation is Wyatt Cheng, and it was a seemingly banal question about "Diablo Immortal" that got to him. Though several different people asked questions about the smartphone focus of "Diablo Immortal" during the Q&A, it was one particular straw that seemingly broke the camel's back. I stopped supporting years ago when they killed franchises and now I will say good bye to you as well," one Twitter user wrote on Monday.Ĭheng and his coworkers at Blizzard were clearly aware of this backlash, as Cheng opened Saturday afternoon's question-and-answer session for "Diablo Immortal" with a reassurance that several other "Diablo" projects are currently in the works at Blizzard.Īttendees cheered this announcement, but ultimately the reassurance wasn't enough. "Hey and I know you don't care, but today I uninstalled and I cancelled my subscription. Twitter is still awash with aggrieved fans, days later, as is the subreddit. People turned the "Diablo" subreddit into a litany of grievances. It turned out to be the exception, unfortunately.īy Saturday, less than 24 hours later, the attitude toward "Diablo Immortal' at BlizzCon 2018 changed.įans were taking to the internet to decry the game - a mobile-only entry in a beloved PC gaming series - as the beginning of the end of the franchise. The first question from the audience was polite reassurance that some fans weren't so upset. The announcement was met with applause - not roaring applause, necessarily, but applause nonetheless. That enthusiasm didn't last long. The game looks and plays similarly to traditional "Diablo" games, except it's tailored for smartphones' touch controls and smaller screen. It was with this subtle distinction that Cheng announced "Diablo Immortal," a smartphone-only entry in the "Diablo" franchise. "We are making a full-fledged action-RPG you can play everywhere with everyone," he said. So we knew that we wanted to use mobile devices as the platform for a new 'Diablo' game - because nothing brings together the family like slaying demons!" "Our mobile devices keep us closer than ever to our friends, family, and loved ones. "Our modern world is an increasingly connected one," he said. "We love the way 'Diablo' has brought millions of players around the world together to slay demons." That's when Cheng started to reveal the new game. "We love Diablo!" Cheng enthusiastically shouted at attendees. Cheng was indeed there to announce a new game in the "Diablo" just wasn't the one that fans wanted. A new "Overwatch" hero, perhaps? Maybe - finally - the long-anticipated announcement of "Diablo 4"? ![]() The room for the keynote was packed, and fans were there specifically for announcements. He was speaking to a massive crowd of attendees at BlizzCon 2018, the annual fan event held by Blizzard Entertainment in Anaheim, California. "Hello BlizzCon!" Wyatt Cheng said last Friday. It often indicates a user profile.īlizzard Entertainment principle designer Wyatt Cheng. ![]() Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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