Diablo Immortalhas been through a rollercoaster of public perception. WhenDiablo Immortalwas first announced at BlizzCon in 2018, the game was heavily criticized by disappointed fans who wanted a new main seriesDiablogame, not a mobile spin-off. Then when fans actually got their hands on the game, public perception of it started to shift, with many hailing it as a solidDiabloexperience for mobile. But thenDiablo Immortallaunched and lost all that goodwill with egregious microtransactions that some have argued are pay-to-win.
Right now,Diablo Immortalis one of the most controversial games in the industry.Diablo Immortalis being review bombed on Metacriticand its user score continues to drop, with it now being the lowest-rated Blizzard game on the review aggregate site according to user reviews. Despite the controversies surroundingDiablo Immortal, it’s still proven to be popular with some fans, including Twitch streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek.
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Shroud is one of the world’s top Twitch streamers, and like other top streamers, he has been streaming some of his experiences withDiablo Immortal. However, shroud has found himself in the center of controversy for some of his takes on the game, like when he saidhe liked thatDiablo Immortalhad uncapped microtransactions, comparing the game toLost Ark, which has some restrictions.
In a more recent stream, titled “I WON’T OPEN IMMORTAL,” shroud addressed some of the controversies surroundingDiablo Immortaland its microtransactions. During the stream, shroud said that he agrees thatDiablo Immortal’s microtransactionsare “fing ridiculous” and that he is “on everyone else’s side” when it comes to the matter. However, shroud then said he “can’t stop paying for it,” and that he has a “problem” with the game. “They fing got me. They got me,” shroud said during the stream.
Diablo Immortal’s microtransactions have been accused of being predatory for their pay-to-win nature and for how much money one can spend in the game without getting the item they want. In one case,a streamer spent $10,000 inDiablo Immortaland didn’t get a single 5-star legendary gem. And a report by Bellular News suggested that it would take about $110,000 for one to fully gear-up inDiablo Immortal. It’s these reasons why there are many who are upset withDiablo Immortal’s monetization.
Shroud finding himself unable to stop spending money onDiablo Immortalis a big reason why games with this kind of monetization are banned in certain parts of the world. While it may be difficult for some to comprehend, though are genuinely people out there who can’t help but spend ridiculous amounts of money on games like this.Diablo Immortalisn’t being released in Belgium and the Netherlandsbecause their governments have labeled its monetization model as a form of gambling, and it’s not hard to see why.
Diablo Immortalis out now for iOS and Android with a PC version available in early access.
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