Diablo Immortal director wants it judged on merits not microtransaction "misinformation"
(Based on its merits, players hate it)
Diablo Immortal is being pilloried by players for the price of its microtransactions, and for how closely tied your progress is to spending real money. One player on the game's Reddit page has suggested that it would cost between $50k-$80k (around £39k-£64k) to fully max out a character in the free-to-play action RPG. Meanwhile, the game's director has been responding to feedback on Twitter in an attempt to address those "not liking a game based on misinformation surrounding it."
The post on Reddit looking at the cost of microtransactions has existed since before launch, but has been updated since the game was released. The post initially estimated that maxing out a Diablo Immortal character would cost over $100k, in part because of a single stat in the game's beta that would cost $50-60k on its own to get.
In the fully released version, it seems prices have come down. Maxing out a character now requires fewer Legendary Gems - one of the ways you power characters in-game - and the post author estimates that it would now cost a still eye-watering $50k-$80k. We're currently working on our own guide to the game's microtransactions so will be able to offer more insight to the costs soon, and in the meantime we already have a guide to how to get legendary gems.
While the figures alone are enough to frustrate players, there's greater anger over the sense that the game is pay-to-win, with progress tied to spending real money, and real money items aggressively marketed through the game. YouTuber Dotodoya pointed out on Twitter that completing a dungeon gave them no rewards, instead granting access to buy a new bundle of items costing $7.
Twitch streamer Zizaran likewise pointed out on Twitter that Diablo Immortal game director Wyatt Cheng wrote in a forum post pre-release that there was "no way to acquire or rank up gear using money" in the game. While technically accurate when it comes to gear, money is required for other ways in which players upgrade their characters.
Cheng responded on Twitter, saying he was clear that he was only referring to gear, and that he had been clear in "many interviews" that money could be spent to "advance gems and legendary gems." Wyatt was then asked by another Twitter user why he responded to arguments on Twitter.
"I don't like it if information is misleading," Cheng responded. "There's a difference between players liking or not liking a game based on it's merits (which I can accept, not every game is for everybody) vs. liking or not liking a game based on misinformation surrounding it."
Which is fair - although broadly it seems like people dislike the game based on its merits, so.