For some reason, Diablo 4 The developers are very keen to reiterate to people that the game doesn’t pay to win and that players don’t need to spend real money to enhance their characters and make meaningful game progress.
In a new quarterly update released last night, Kegan Clark, product director for Diablo 4, pointed out that any item that can be purchased for real money in the in-game store will affect gameplay.
“There’s no direct or indirect gaming advantage from anything that’s available in the store,” Clark said. “So while many of them look like powerful gear, they don’t have in-game stats.”
In the update, Blizzard shared that the game will be a full-priced version that will also include a premium and free battle pass. The items you can unlock in these battle pass tracks don’t offer any “pay for power” element.
According to Blizzard, the Premium Battle Pass will focus on aesthetic items, and there will be enhancements there too – items that allow you to easily level up new characters, for example.
It’s clear that Blizzard is re-examining the way it monetizes its games: Recently, Blizzard announced that it would be pulling loot boxes from Overwatch 2 ahead of the October 4 launch of Overwatch 2. The new game will, like Diablo IV, feature a seasonal battle pass and an in-game premium item store.
All of these changes are happening in console and PC games, and Diablo (mostly mobile) brings Blizzard a ton of cash. The game made $24 million in its first week alone, and $100 million in its first two months.
While Blizzard insists the “vast majority” of players don’t spend money in Diablo Immortal, the community has been outspoken about the frequency and presence of microtransactions in the game.
It makes sense, then, why Blizzard is so keen to communicate to players that Diablo 4 will be different. This isn’t the first time developers have made this message very explicit — and it likely won’t be the last.
