[Issue Summary] "Shall We Go Devil Hunting?" 'Diablo Immortal' Tops Popularity Charts on Both Major App Markets

Combining Traditional PC Advantages with Mobile Features... Excessive 'Payment Inducement' Is Regrettable

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] One of Blizzard's flagship IPs, 'Diablo,' has returned as a mobile game.

Activision Blizzard, the holding company of Activision and Blizzard, has released the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) 'Diablo Immortal' on mobile and PC platforms. 'Diablo Immortal' is a game that tells the story between 'Diablo II,' released in 2000, and 'Diablo III,' released in 2012.

As a popular IP in the 'Diablo' series and the first game in the series to be released on mobile, 'Diablo Immortal' has attracted continuous attention since its announcement at BlizzCon 2018. It has surpassed 35 million global pre-registrations and ranked number one in downloads on app stores in more than 40 countries worldwide, including South Korea. According to the mobile app analytics site Mobile Index, since its release on June 4, it has held the number one spot in the free game rankings on both major markets.

'Diablo Immortal' utilizes characters from 'Diablo III' such as Demon Hunter and Barbarian, as well as game elements like the 'Nephalem Rift.' At the same time, it employs a cooldown-based skill system instead of mana and provides quest guidance through footprints, creating a user interface optimized for the mobile environment.

'Diablo Immortal' absorbs the strengths of existing PC games while also featuring unique characteristics. Users can form clans as in 'Diablo III' and participate in party play with up to eight players, similar to 'Diablo II.' Additionally, it implements faction-based PvP (player versus player) and large-scale raids, which were not found in the 'Diablo' PC game series.

However, some users have given low ratings due to the more blatant in-app purchase inducements compared to other games. To increase combat rating in the game, a 5-star 'Legendary Gem' item is required, but unless materials are purchased with real money, the probability of obtaining it in-game is extremely low. Scottish game critic Jordan Miller pointed out in a VGC webzine article that "it costs up to $110,000 (138 million KRW) to fully level up one character in 'Diablo Immortal.'"

On Metacritic, a site that rates games, movies, and dramas, 'Diablo Immortal' received a user score of 0.6 out of 10. Users harshly criticized the game with comments such as "blatant cash-grab," "This game's name is not Diablo Immortal but 'Steal your wallet'," and "Blizzard should be ashamed."

Meanwhile, 'Diablo Immortal' was banned from release in some European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg due to the introduction of 'gacha'-style paid items within the game.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.