In spite of the fury surrounding pay-to-win microtransactions, Diablo Immortal is currently enjoying the most successful launch in franchise history.
Diablo Immortal has been mired in controversy since its poorly-received reveal at BlizzCon 2018. The exorbitant amount of microtransactions in Diablo Immortal still managed to further tip the scales, though.
In-game purchases in the RPG have proven so egregious that one person’s calcuations show players could spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to max out a single character.
As of now, however, the backlash means little with respect to Diablo Immortal’s early success.
The Diablo Immortal launch breaks records
Within only a week of its release on PC and mobile platforms, Diablo Immortal has already surpassed 10 million downloads.
- Read More: Twitch streamer Quin69 rages after spending $10k on Diablo Immortal and getting “nothing”
Blizzard Entertainment confirmed as much in a post on the game’s official Twitter account. The celebratory tweet in question features a text-laden image revealing the 10 million figure, with a caption referring to Diablo Immortal as the “biggest launch in franchise history.”
Shoutout to the heroes of Sanctuary.
In just one week, Diablo Immortal is the biggest launch in franchise history.
Thanks for slaying with us. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/r561EY5u8b
— Diablo Immortal (@DiabloImmortal) June 10, 2022
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By comparison, Diablo 3 moved 6.3 million units during its launch week in May 2012, 3.5 million of which were sold on day one.
Diablo Immortal’s status as a free-to-play experience may make its 10 million installs seem inconsequential, yet in-game purchases will likely carry the weight in terms of earnings.
Numerous fans, including well-known streamers, have already admitted to spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on microtransactions.
This combined with Diablo Immortal’s massive launch indicates the negative discourse will barely make a dent in Blizzard’s bottom line.
How the company and co-developer NetEase plan to address the ongoing pay-to-win concerns in-game presently remains a mystery. After all, the mobile-first approach to development means Diablo Immortal isn’t beholden to the same standards as PC and console games.
