What's holding us back from World of Diablo?

[Lollis]

All I can see with the Diablo Immortal reveal is a 4 year old throwing a tantrum cause their daddy gave them the "wrong" flavor of ice cream as a present.

Well fuck if you didn't completely miss the point.


Lets go with your analogy shall we?

The Diablo Immortal reveal is a 4 year old throwing a tantrum because their daddy gave them banana flavoured icecream instead of a Banoffee Pie with toffee sauce. They advertised what was initially a MOBILE GAME to an audience that was majorly PC focused with likely a few console players thrown in using a franchise that had at that time been on PC for twenty two years and console for 6 years.

Blizzard announcing a mobile Diablo game in front of what was primarily a PC audience was like if Ferrari announced that their brand new vehicle was going to be a unicycle.

The game could have turned out amazing and it wouldn't matter, you don't announce a mobile app as a "big thing" to an audience of people who have been playing your games on actual gaming systems for years, and who paid money to go to your convention. If it had been announced seperate from Blizzcon, or announced in a way that made it clear that it was a side project rather than making it out to be something big for the Diablo franchise there would have been FAR less of a negative reaction.

[cparle87]

Well fuck if you didn't completely miss the point.


Lets go with your analogy shall we?

The Diablo Immortal reveal is a 4 year old throwing a tantrum because their daddy gave them banana flavoured icecream instead of a Banoffee Pie with toffee sauce. They advertised what was initially a MOBILE GAME to an audience that was majorly PC focused with likely a few console players thrown in using a franchise that had at that time been on PC for twenty two years and console for 6 years.

Blizzard announcing a mobile Diablo game in front of what was primarily a PC audience was like if Ferrari announced that their brand new vehicle was going to be a unicycle.

The game could have turned out amazing and it wouldn't matter, you don't announce a mobile app as a "big thing" to an audience of people who have been playing your games on actual gaming systems for years, and who paid money to go to your convention. If it had been announced seperate from Blizzcon, or announced in a way that made it clear that it was a side project rather than making it out to be something big for the Diablo franchise there would have been FAR less of a negative reaction.

You pay money to go to Blizzcon to have a good time and find out what new stuff Blizzard is coming out with. That is the beginning and end of your expectations. You made the assumption that Blizzard has to make everything on PC and were made when your unfounded assumption was proved incorrect. You know the old saying about when you assume. Remember the "I was promised a pony" meme?

As for the timeline, didn't people rage when it was added to console, what with the "they're deliberately dumbing down the game so it can work on a console" doom and gloom?

You also sound like a cranky old geezer what with your "actual gaming systems". Mad at all these whippersnappers having fun on their phones. It's not like it's a huge audience that has been around for decades or anything. Like that newfangled television. In my day we listened to the radio.

[DeltrusDisc]

it's too expensive. that would only hurt quarterly reports and growth.

pennies in, millions out is the way now with mobile gaming.

please don't forget that they are publicly traded. their product isn't games anymore, it's money. the games are just a means/byproduct of the money creating process

This was not created with Diablo Immortal/Mobile gaming in mind.

[[Apok]]

The Immortal reveal is the epitome of what's wrong with the modern gaming community. The "if I'm not giving what I want when I want it I'll hate whatever you give me out of spite." Also known as "Ghostcrawler promised me a pony."

You mean moose, and you do know why that became so widespread, right.

[Kumorii]

Diablo 4 looks like it'll be World of Diablo light.
Not sure I'm a big fan of that, don't really want to go someplace and fight hordes of monsters to then see 6 others already killing them.
Diablo kind of loses it's feel if I can just randomly encounter people in the world.

Diablo Immortal already does this and I don't really like the world because of it.
Grouping up is fine because it's your choice...

I hope you can turn off meeting people in the overworld. Already get a bit annoyed when seeing a champion pack or rare mob and it dies before I managed to tag it. And some mobs even get locked from others to be tagged by others, which is fucked.

[Hitei]

Well fuck if you didn't completely miss the point.


Lets go with your analogy shall we?

The Diablo Immortal reveal is a 4 year old throwing a tantrum because their daddy gave them banana flavoured icecream instead of a Banoffee Pie with toffee sauce. They advertised what was initially a MOBILE GAME to an audience that was majorly PC focused with likely a few console players thrown in using a franchise that had at that time been on PC for twenty two years and console for 6 years.

Blizzard announcing a mobile Diablo game in front of what was primarily a PC audience was like if Ferrari announced that their brand new vehicle was going to be a unicycle.

The game could have turned out amazing and it wouldn't matter, you don't announce a mobile app as a "big thing" to an audience of people who have been playing your games on actual gaming systems for years, and who paid money to go to your convention.If it had been announced seperate from Blizzcon, or announced in a way that made it clear that it was a side project rather than making it out to be something big for the Diablo franchise there would have been FAR less of a negative reaction.

It always amazes me how dummies will literally not pay attention and then get angry about the things that were explicitly explained.

BlizzCon 2018 is almost here and we’ve seen a lot of rumors flying around about our plans for Diablo at the show. These are very exciting times—we currently have multiple teams working on different Diablo projects and we can’t wait to tell you all about them . . . when the time is right.

We know what many of you are hoping for and we can only say that “good things come to those who wait,” but evil things often take longer. We appreciate your patience as our teams work tirelessly to create nightmarish experiences worthy of the Lord of Terror.

While we won’t be ready to announce all of our projects, we do intend to share some Diablo-related news with you at the show.

[Nalam the Venom]

The MMORPG genre is pretty much dead and not very profitable.

Why waste so much time and money on something that could flop (Because people would QQ about the company trying to get back their investment through a cash shop the moment the game launches) instead of just making more mobile games that takes less time and effort but bring a lot more profit?


Players and people in general need to understand that the concept of ”Passion projects” and ”Making a good game for players to eenjoy” is long dead.

Except for a few titles like elden ring that still manages Success.

But most companies and investors don’t want to gamble on an MMORPG

[cparle87]

You mean moose, and you do know why that became so widespread, right.

Cause people have unrealistic expectations and when they're not met they react with anger as if they're owed something. I found it quite poetic that they named the first lore tauren paladin Aponi.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

From what I've gathered from the first reveal of Diablo IV, the initial developer insights about it, and the subsequent updates up to this point... Diablo IV won't be a MMORPG à la World of Warcraft but will have some distinct MMORPG-like features such as open world where you can run into other players (as well as open world encounters like world quests and "world boss" encounters), instanced dungeons that are not exactly like Rifts from Diablo 3 but close to it, and the whole character progression and customization factor.


Honestly a top down Diablo perspective game, in the true hack-and-slash/action RPG that a Diablo game is, and a huge world with other players you can engage with to boot? Couldn't ask for more.

[[Apok]]

Cause people have unrealistic expectations and when they're not met they react with anger as if they're owed something. I found it quite poetic that they named the first lore tauren paladin Aponi.

I find it quite poetic that you don't know what you're talking about or the history behind it and still try to pass it off as off you actually do.

[Segus1992]

That has never NOT been true.

You guys have seriously got to let go of this whole, "The Legend of Blizzard" nonsense.

Eh, early on (pre-WoW) it probably was. Of course as companies grow this is always the result though. Consumers are the reason: if we'd stop rewarding scummy monetization it'd stop happening. We won't though, so what we need is laws.

[cparle87]

I find it quite poetic that you don't know what you're talking about or the history behind it and still try to pass it off as off you actually do.

I find it poetic you don't actually have any evidence so all you can say to the other person is "you're wrong cause I said so, I win."

[Rad1um]

The only thing holding them back, the ONLY thing, is money. It would cost a ridiculous amount of money to develop another MMO.

Oh please... Nothing several thousand microtransactions cant cover + a monthly sub. Easy. Its what Blizzard does best.

[The Stormbringer]

Oh please... Nothing several thousand microtransactions cant cover + a monthly sub. Easy. Its what Blizzard does best.

Shareholders and the like typically weigh the initial investment more heavily than potential earnings later. An MMO is a gamble, even from a "big" company like Blizzard. It's a huge risk, and they don't like taking risks. It DOES happen, we've seen it all over, but that doesn't mean everyone will try it.

[[Apok]]

I find it poetic you don't actually have any evidence so all you can say to the other person is "you're wrong cause I said so, I win."

Pot, kettle, black?

[cparle87]

Pot, kettle, black?

You're the one making the argument, therefore the onus is on you to prove it, not me to disprove it. Don't you know how debates work?

[RobertMugabe]

EDIT: Since this thread has recently gotten a fair bit of attention, I want everyone to be aware - I am NOT thinking of Diablo Immortal/anything mobile for that matter. This is supposed to be a computer (maybe console)-based MMORPG like WoW/TESO/SW: TOR/TES Online but simply in the Diablo universe. Darker tones, etc. Or a single-player horror game, but from first/third-person perspective. Please read the post instead of just blindly replying.

Original post:

I know many people talk about World of Starcraft, and I love that idea - but I've been feeling for some time the aesthetic for Diablo would be wonderful for a creepy first or third person game, whether it's single-player i.e. Amnesia The Dark Descent: Skyrim Edition or multiplayer like WoW, but more creepy shit.

I don't play D3 anymore because it's a joke but it was my first ARPG and I always maintain Act 1 was the best act in it. Dark, gritty atmosphere and up close and personal, could be scary as shit. I read the Diablo books years back and one of them painted such a creepy picture in some dungeon or crypt and I thought, man, if only.

What's stopping this from being made? It would sell.

Simple question: Why would Blizzard compete with itself?

[MoanaLisa]

Simple question: Why would Blizzard compete with itself?

Simple answer: It would expand their market. Presuming no special sale or deal, a lot of people would play both of them. There would be new customers for a full-on Diablo MMO.

Before there was Classic people asked the same thing. The answer was that it would expand their customer base while driving no one away.

I don't think Blizzard will do this but when companies provide different product choices for customers that's rarely competing with themselves. Look at consumer products like toothpaste or almost anything in a grocery store. Companies will have multiple versions of a product 'competing with themselves' as it were. It's a win for the company as it takes some of the oxygen away from true competitors.

[Wries]

The talent capable of making an MMO has left Blizzard over the years.

[bullseyed]

mmo-rpg is quite the broad term, lost ark and diablo 2.5 are mmo-rpg.

And from what I've seen so far, diablo IV is designed as an mmo rpg.

Only due to usage by illiterate people.

Massively Multiplayer Online RPG is not the same thing as Massive/Multiplayer/Online RPG.

Massively multiplayer means large numbers of people can play together in it, which does not apply to Diablo, nor even games like Destiny.

Given how WoW struggles to load 40-100 people in for a world boss, it might not even qualify for WoW anymore.