for anyone looking forward Diablo 4 Just to be a great video game – one that you can play for hours and be happy (rather than forced) to return anytime you choose – I have bad news for you.
In the recently released Diablo 4 quarterly development update, Blizzard stepped forward to answer the multi-billion dollar question: How will Diablo 4 be monetized?
Obviously, everyone is on edge, but not only thanks to how the immoral monetization of Diablo Immortal is accepted, but also because Diablo 4 will be released at a time when the game’s monetization plans have moved beyond parody point.
I wonder what kind of multi-layered nightmare model this game will have, because it can’t just be a video game that you buy and call it quits. Well, the answer has been conveyed very clearly in a blog post.
From the era of Modern Warfare 2019, Diablo 4 is effectively transforming into Call of Duty. It’s a full-priced game, with the regular battle pass including free and premium tiers — and of course, an in-game store that sells cosmetics for real money. A trio of modern gaming crap.
This is the exact same model that Call of Duty has relied on since dropping the DLC map pack. Store updates are so important right now that they make up a good portion of every blog post for the game. Even during the lulls between content updates, you can count on the store to keep updating bundles over $20.
This is the future of Diablo.
By reading the quarterly update, you get the feeling that Blizzard knows it’s going to cause some controversy. Its wording makes it clear what the system provides, while using the same defensive language to justify its existence.
If you’re already thinking “it’s optional” and “has no effect on gameplay”, you’re right. Blizzard relied on cliché, old, and apparently meaningless phrases to convince us that Diablo 4 would ask for money, and it wouldn’t be mean for it.
Let’s start with the season pass, which the developers say is basically a battle pass. It will have free and paid tiers and will be available for a while – maximum FOMO.
The old Diablo 3-style season will return, but it’s evolving into the battle pass model of our nightmarish existence. Blizzard said that “an army” of developers will be dedicated to creating new game content, missions, quality of life improvements and balance tweaks over the next few years.
By playing each season, you can unlock rewards in the Season Pass. Premium tiers will give you the coolest cosmetic rewards, while free tiers include game boosts like faster leveling up. You can definitely buy individual tiers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see bundles of 20 or 50 tiers.
Appearance rewards will correspond to the season’s theme and can only be unlocked by purchasing premium tracks and earning rewards. And, like Call of Duty, you can also expect to earn paid currency in the pass, which you can use in the store.
It’s actually kind of interesting that the word “Call of Duty” doesn’t appear anywhere in the update. I can’t say for sure if this is a conscious decision by Blizzard not to draw attention to the games it emulates, or if the studio sees its own plans for Diablo 4 as a normal, expected 3A game for 2022/3.
Rounding up is the store. Where else can you get cool armor and cosmetics in a Diablo game?
Right off the bat, Blizzard has been keen to rely on the “it’s only cosmetic” argument. The shop will use its own premium currency, some of which you earn in the season pass, but most of you will be expected to spend real money.
This includes transmog for weapons and armor, similar to what you can get in the game, but possibly more fun. These collections are divided into different components that can be used for any role within the same class. You can also mix and match purchased items with in-game ones, at least.
Don’t expect anything outlandish, though. Cosmetics must be “based on the overall fantasy of the Diablo world”. So you probably don’t have John McClain or John Cena in your sanctuary.
But while Blizzard claims “no direct or indirect game advantage from anything available in the store,” the developers ignored the visual appearance of custom characters Yes A core part of the Diablo gaming experience. Diablo 4 is a loot game. We might love its action combat, environments, music, and atmosphere, but it’s all about chasing the rewards the game offers—many of which are rooted in aesthetics, not power.
Carving out that part of the game and selling it is an integral part of Sabotage Diablo.You need to fully trust Blizzard to not make shop items also Desirable – This is a tough question, especially when money is at stake.
Blizzard clearly wants players to believe it won’t go overboard, with the blog post emphasizing that “the best looking cosmetics aren’t exclusive to the store.” According to Blizzard, you’ll get “more options” in the store. You know, something that all the other Diablo games have in their loot pools by default.
One of my favorite quotes is: “We want what we buy to feel good—before, during and after the purchase,” Blizzard wrote. “So, if players choose to buy something, it should be because they want to, not because they feel Have to. ”
In a loot game, the only thing holding you back from getting the armor you want (yes, even if it’s just for looks) should be your ability to play the activity that drops it. We could argue all day about the drop rates of RNGs and the rarest sets, but the fact remains: the pool of earnable items in the game is smaller due to the presence of paid cosmetic stores.
We only have to look at Call of Duty to know which part of the game has been updated more than any other. Welcome to the future of Diablo.