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The Diablo series consists of some of the best-loved titles in gaming history, and any kind of official word on the development or release of a new entry is taken very seriously by a rabid, impatient, and loyal fanbase. That might be why the actual launch of these games is met with a lot of drama and raw emotion.
Diablo 3, the much-anticipated sequel, was released ten years ago, while the not-so-anticipated Diablo: Immortaldebuted at the beginning of June 2022. It’s hard to tell which game had the better launch, or it might be better to say, the worse one.
6 Better Launch Date Announcement – Diablo 3
This is the easiest and most obvious difference between the two. Diablo 3’s promotional material was riding the coattails of Blizzard’s flagship game, MMO juggernaut World of Warcraft. Part of the festivities at BlizzCon 2011 included extra gifts for players who bought 12-month game subscriptions, such as a free copy of Diablo 3 and other perks like beta access to the next WoW expansion and the most coveted prize of all, a unique in-game mount. The reception was overwhelmingly positive.
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Compare this to the now meme-worthy and famously disastrous announcement of Diablo: Immortal as a strictly mobile game at BlizzCon in 2018, which elicited a negative response from an audience that was made up of dedicated PC gamers. The tone-deaf response of the developers asking, “Do you guys not have phones?” has become symbolic of the massive chasm that’s developed between gaming companies and their customers.
5 Better Response To The Lore – Diablo: Immortal
Both games have the usual characters and locations that fans know and love from the previous games. However, audiences have responded to the general aesthetic of Diablo: Immortal as a better example of the Diablo legacy in all its disgusting and bloody glory.
The storyline that players followed through Diablo 3 was quaint, typical, and worst of all, almost bloodless. There were also plenty of complaints about the over-reliance on a boring storyline and washed-out interactions that brought the previous thrill of Diablo’s horror to a PG-13 rating. Diablo: Immortal, on the other hand, is marketed as a game intended for adults and is unapologetically violent and disgusting.
4 Better Fanservice – Diablo 3
The designers of ten years ago seemed to have more consideration for continuing the storyline and lore of the previous games than those of the present day. Even though Diablo 3’s story was tame compared to previous installments and ended with a twist that surprised nobody, it was much more focused on setting and story than Diablo: Immortal and included more exposition than other games.
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Diablo 3’s progression is divided into four Acts, each functioning as a chapter in a story, with the character advancing through them in what’s very much a classic stand-alone experience.
3 Better Marketing Outreach – Diablo: Immortal
It’s easier to get someone hooked on a product if they get the first bit for free, and as insidious as that might be, it’s still effective marketing. Diablo: Immortal is free to play, and the Beta for PC is clearly unfinished, so Blizzard needs all the help they can get. They can milk this whale forever with the number of microtransactions available.
It was partly because of the disastrous launch announcement in 2018 that the release of Diablo: Immortal was so muted compared to others in the same wheelhouse. It seems that Blizzard is banking on the excitement of the next World of Warcraft expansion to distract their fans from a mobile game that their dedicated fanbase never wanted.
2 Better Versatility For Obtaining A Copy – Diablo 3
It wasn’t that long ago that video games were available in physical media, but now so many computers come without CD ROMs those days are all but over. Today it’s all direct downloads, with little or no options for obtaining physical copies, but in 2012, there was more variety available and Blizzard did their best to exploit that feature to their advantage.
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Players who didn’t mind getting a strictly digital version could pre-order and download a copy in advance using the Blizzard installer, which is a standard issue these days. On the other hand, there were no less than two retail options available, a standard edition and a Collector’s version that included extra goodies. Console users, however, were out of luck until 2017 when the Diablo 3: Eternal Collection was released.
1 Better Options For Android and iOS Players – Diablo Immortal
This might be too easy, as it was the point of the game the whole time, and whether it’s a good thing is matter of opinion. Regardless of a player’s individual feelings, Diablo: Immortal is a nice mobile game, so nice in fact that the underwhelming PC port still looks decent and works fairly well despite its glaring flaws.
Players, gamers, and reviewers have plenty of negative things to say about the launch of Diablo: Immortal but its quality as an Android or iOS game isn’t one of them. The reception here has been quite the opposite, with the general look and quality marking an elevation of all mobile games in general.
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