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The old Diablo 3-style of seasons will return, but it’s evolving into the battle pass-hitched model of our nightmare present.
#Diablo 4 logo free
It’s going to have free and paid tiers, and will last for a set period of time – for maximum FOMO. Let’s start with the season pass, which the developer says is basically a battle pass. But what if I think the one on right looks cooler? Blizzard says the best-looking rewards can be earned in-game (left). Blizzard is relying on those tired, old, and clearly meaningless phrases to convince us that Diablo 4 will ask for money, it just won’t be scummy about it. If you’re already thinking “it’s optional”, and “have no effect on gameplay” are brought out, you’d be right. It’s worded in a way that makes clear what the system offers, while using the same defensive language to justify its existence. Even during the lulls between content updates, you can count on the shop to continue to be refreshed with $20+ bundles.įrom reading the quarterly update, you get the sense that Blizzard knew it was going to cause some controversy. Shop updates are so significant now, they take up a decent chunk of every one of the game’s blog posts. This is the same exact model Call of Duty has been relying on since dropping DLC map packs. It’s a full-price game, with regular battle passes sporting free and premium tiers – and of course, an in-game shop that sells cosmetics for real money. Well, the answer was delivered quite clearly in a blog post.ĭiablo 4 is effectively turning into Call of Duty, from the Modern Warfare 2019-era going forward. What multi-tiered nightmare model is the game going to have, I wondered, because it can’t just be a video game you buy and call it a day. In the recently published Diablo 4 quarterly development update, Blizzard came out and answered the billion-dollar question: how is Diablo 4 going to be monetised?Įveryone is on edge, clearly, but not just thanks to how Diablo Immortal’s unethical monetisation was received, but also because Diablo 4 will be released at a time when game monetisation schemes have evolved beyond the point of parody. For anyone looking forward to Diablo 4 simply being a good video game – one you can have hours of fun playing and feel happy (not compelled) to return to anytime you choose – I’ve got bad news for you.
