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Released on June 2, 2022, Diablo Immortal hit all mobile devices and quickly became one of the most controversial games on the platform. While Blizzard's latest contribution to the gaming world hit 8.5 million downloads in its first two weeks and has seen over 10 million playing Diablo Immortal to date, it didn't come without its fair share of criticism.
Despite the chagrin of many regarding the microtransaction nature of the mobile game, Diablo Immortal has generated over $24 million in revenue since its launch. The instant success makes Diablo Immortal one of the highest-earning mobile games in Blizzard's history, only second to its beloved card game, Hearthstone.
According to AppMagic, a data-collection resource tool, Diablo Immortal continues to grow exponentially in its player base and the amount of money gamers are throwing into the system to obtain rare items. Like most mobile-based games on the market today, Diablo Immortal offers players two methods of enjoying the product; Pay-To-Win or Free-To-Play. The former involves players spending as much money as they deem necessary to remain competitive, while the latter has gamers enjoying the product without spending a dime while remaining behind players who choose to spend. Some popular content creators have even gone the distance, spending upwards of $25,000 on Diablo Immortal, even if it was to prove a point of how predatory the microtransaction system can be.
Popular Twitch streamer Quin69 went as far as to delete his character after spending an insane amount of money to earn his first five-star gem, which is used to upgrade weapons and boost the statistical values of specific categories. During one of his streams, Quin69 spent over $20,000 in New Zealand Dollars to show how absurd the rates were to get anything good, going without a single five-star item. In a later stream, he finally received what he was searching for, only to promptly delete his character, uninstall Diablo Immortal, and urge his viewers to do the same. Despite the movement of content creators highlighting Blizzard's tactics, the game continues to grow in both players installing the game and those who choose to pour their hard-earned money into it.
To date, the United States makes up 43 percent of the total revenue generated by the game, with South Korea coming in second at 23 percent. The two countries also make up the largest portion of the game's player base, with the United States holding 26 percent while South Korea has 11 percent of the total count. Japan, Germany, and Canada represent 17 percent combined, with the remaining 17 percent extending to 49 different countries. Due to the monetization of the game, Reddit users have gone as far as requesting the banning of Diablo Immortal from the Diablo subreddit, further enhancing the controversy surrounding the mobile and PC title.
Diablo Immortal is available now on Mobile and PC.
Source: Pocket Gamer