Diablo Immortal has topped over 20 million installs
"Woah! One legendary crest! Thanks, Blizzard"
Diablo Immortal has topped over 20 million installs.
That's according to developer Blizzard, which today confirmed the "20 million demon slayers and counting" milestone along with a "rewards" to all players we've participated so far, " like a Legendary Crest, gold, and more".
20M demon slayers and counting. ⚔️Log in to claim rewards like a Legendary Crest, gold, and more. pic.twitter.com/NvjcBjuCE4July 23, 2022
"Woah! One legendary crest! Thanks Blizzard," said one happy - or possibly sarcastic - responder.
"Log in and bring your wallet," added another, in reference to the game's controversial microtransactions.
Blizzard and its new boss, Mike Ybarra, have argued that most players aren't spending any money on Diablo Immortal and that its monetization only kick in when it comes to "the end game".
"When we think about monetization, at the very highest level it was, 'How do we give a free Diablo experience to hundreds of millions of people, where they can literally do 99.5% of everything in the game?'" Ybarra said at the time.
"The monetization comes in at the end game. The philosophy was always to lead with great gameplay and make sure that hundreds of millions of people can go through the whole campaign without any costs. From that standpoint, I feel really good about it as an introduction to Diablo."
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Diablo Immortal is out now on PC and mobile. As detailed by Activision Blizzard via a recent update on the official website, "Skarn, Lord of Damnation has amassed his battle-hungry forces in anticipation of your near arrival to Sanctuary".
Even before it had released, Blizzard was keen to let fans know that the game's microtransactions "never circumvent core gameplay", but just a few days later, the company announced the game wouldn't be launching in two European countries due to laws against loot boxes and gambling, and pay-to-win complaints began to surface.
That hasn't stopped it being incredibly popular, though. In a little over two weeks after launch, Diablo Immortal had already secured over 8.5 million downloads, and had by mid-June already generated $24 million for developer Blizzard, making it the developer's second-highest earner after Hearthstone. Consequently, Diablo Immortal has defied its microtransaction controversy to become the biggest global launch in series history.
If you're ready to play then check out the best Diablo Immortal classes to help you pick your character.
Vikki Blake is 12DOVE's Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.