As players flock across from every corner of Sanctuary to try out Diablo Immortal, the microtransactions have led to some fans dubbing the game “pay to win.”
At long last, the veil has dropped around Diablo Immortal, the next chapter in the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. Set between the events of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction and Diablo 3, players are thrust into a gorey world defined by darkness, demons, and destruction.
While the gameplay itself largely seems to have been a hit, its mysterious ambiance has been ruined by a slew of microtransactions, leading many to ask whether or not Diablo Immortal is pay to win and, in turn, a “cash grab”.
With the gates to hell open on both PC and mobile, the community has been quick to voice its opinions on the monetization in latest installment in the Diablo saga – and they’re not particularly positive.
Diablo Immortal fans slam microtransactions
In the days following launch, Diablo fans have been quick to criticize Diablo Immortal’s reliance on paid systems.
“Every predatory monetisation feature under the sun is jammed into this game,” writes one player on the game’s official subreddit. “It’s like P2W Exodia,” making reference to the iconic Yu-Gi-Oh! character whose limbs are split across multiple different cards that have to be put together.
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“We should start calling it ‘Diablo: Immoral’ instead,” jibes another. “I feel robbed of good content for Diablo 3 that was instead put into a predatory P2W mobile game.”
Another post argues “Diablo Immortal is one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever played. There’s a great Diablo game here that wants to be seen. It could have even been a D3 expansion. But it’s saddled with f**ked up monetization and frustrating gameplay to go along with it.
“They built the next Diablo game, a good game with solid mechanics and (so far) a good story, and then turned it into one of the most aggressively-monetized pieces of s**t I’ve ever seen whose purchasing tactics are downright insulting. The more I play this game the harder it becomes to express my distaste in words.”
While Blizzard promised to change up the Immortal’s purchasable content post-Beta, it appears their attempts still haven’t quite hit the mark with the majority of players.
As the game continues to grow and contort into the monster it was created to be, it’ll be interesting to see if the devs look into the microtransaction feedback. Until then, it looks like the cost of saving Sanctuary is a little too much for some.
