Diablo IV Launches June 6, 2023

[Biomega]

If you think base cost + battle pass + mtx shop + pay more for headstart is not predatory, then there is little to discuss with you.

To be fair, the head start is really the only questionable part there, giving that both the BP and the MTX are all cosmetic/convenience only. I don't mind base price for a highly polished AAA game with substantial content - it's not like this is a PvP game where players make the content, or some indie game with lower production value. From what we've seen so far it's got loads of content and very high polish, which entirely justifies a box price.

But I do agree: that early release access is some EA-level scumbaggery.

[chiddie]

To be fair, the head start is really the only questionable part there, giving that both the BP and the MTX are all cosmetic/convenience only. I don't mind base price for a highly polished AAA game with substantial content - it's not like this is a PvP game where players make the content, or some indie game with lower production value. From what we've seen so far it's got loads of content and very high polish, which entirely justifies a box price.

But I do agree: that early release access is some EA-level scumbaggery.

Early access doesn’t mean much in this case. First season will happen in 1 month or so and when seasons start, almost no one will play non seasonal chars.

[HansOlo]

Sorry for late reply, saw the notification right now and read something that actually made me laugh on how stupid it actually did sound.

So first of all: "stop hiding behind term casual."
I said it once. And its not hiding behind it, its stating for players who dont generally play diablo but also see the pricing as stupid when they have MTX and battle pass you most likely need to pay for to have a great experience. Its atleast how it is for ppl like me which is why I said it.

"jackshit about basic marketing." You mean demand and supply? Im sorry to say but, you dont need "basic marketing" to understand how increase pricing with additional pricing in the game works. You dont need to be a, what did you say? "someone very smart who calculated the pricetag." That literally made me believe you never studied basic marketing yourself, yet you comment.
All you basically need to increase the price of a game is either:
A: Have another company increase first and see the reaction. If its not too bad, increase it yourself. (seen it alot of times without inflation having anything to do with it.)
B: Pretend its inflation and increase it anyway. Or dont pretend its inflation but increase it and dont care about reactions, they normally calm down.
C: Wanting more money.
Im all for increasing pricetags if it actually means the devs gets to spend more time developing the game and actually put out a rly good product. Usually that does not happen but instead the money is put into the "owners" pockets. But you are defending that to the max.

According to you, acceptable is w/e you feel is acceptable to yourself, since u can pay it you dont mind it. Since it doesnt hurt you, you dont mind it. Thats the people companies target since they are the easy targets. Quite simple isnt it? Look at Diablo Immortal.

If you are going to go the milestone, atleast do it properly.

And man, when you write, it actually sounds like you are really mad and frustrated that people dont agree entirely with everything you say and do. Must be great. (And actually quite funny to read :-) )

I don't see any value in this post. It feels like you are thinking out loud and not articulating as I critized you. Sorry.

How about this: if they lowered the price of the iPhone, it is expected that the sales would drop(ironically).

So lowering the price tag can for a fact hurt a company in many ways(not saying it's the same case here, but frankly you don't access to their motivation either). This is much more complex.

The question is: are seriously not going to buy one if the most iconic franchises in the industry because of the price? If you won't buy because of 'greed' - know that the 70 is the new 60(so what do you reply to that).

[Biomega]

Early access doesn’t mean much in this case. First season will happen in 1 month or so and when seasons start, almost no one will play non seasonal chars.

My concern isn't competitive balance, it's needless scumbaggery that tears friends and families apart just because one can/will pay and the other won't. That shit's just so unnecessary.

[Kilpi]

Activision has no power over how Blizzard distributes its games.

Activision 100% control what Blizzard does. Even Kaplan and others said about Overwatch, that it was Activision higher-ups that called-off Titan development and then "gave the chance" of using 6 months to salvage whatever Titan already had ready (which lead to OW). Activision has the keys to the money-locker and Blizzard does as Blizzard is told.

[Gorsameth]

If you think base cost + battle pass + mtx shop + pay more for headstart is not predatory, then there is little to discuss with you.

Its greedy certainly, but why is it predatory? No one is trying to gotya you, or throw up unexpected paywalls.

Is the cafeteria around the corner asking you if you want ketchup with your fries now being predatory?

[Biggles Worth]

No, it's not clever, nor it's milking the fanbase. 70$ simply becomes the new norm, and not increasing the game price is just leaving the money on the table.

Here I am buying like 20 different indie games for $70 having a blast. You guys keep paying these dummy prices though.

[rrayy]

Activision 100% control what Blizzard does. Even Kaplan and others said about Overwatch, that it was Activision higher-ups that called-off Titan development and then "gave the chance" of using 6 months to salvage whatever Titan already had ready (which lead to OW). Activision has the keys to the money-locker and Blizzard does as Blizzard is told.

No they did not. They never said that. Activision does NOT control Blizzard. They are two separate companies under one roof named Activision-Blizzard. Activision makes it's own decisions and Blizzard makes its own decisions. Stop making stuff up. A-B made the decision, not Activision. Educate yourself on the difference between Activision and Activision-Blizzard.

[Diggsworth]

Game looks okay, mount looks GREAT, but other than that, going to have to take a hard pass on this one.

Collector's edition comes with a skip for battle pass tiers.

I obviously can only speculate the cost on this pass, but how immortal was handled doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

Maybe it'll be like Kirac's Vault Pass?

Only time will tell how much D4 will actually cost though, and I don't plan to buy in early.

[Aliven]

Yeah, well, it's easy to argue against an intentionally horrible point. I asked "what's better, having the option to pay for bling and getting a free sandwich every few months, or paying for a 3-course dinner every few years?" and your response was "well OBVIOUSLY a Michelin-star dinner ever few years is better than a sandwich full of snot and vomit, DUH!".

You have no idea what the content that we're getting will look like. Pretending like it's obvious it will be "almost never worth it" is grossly dishonest, especially since it's FREE if you don't buy the cosmetics/QoL.

You pay for battle pass content and thats it. Nobody is entitled to even ONE new zone or one NEW item (unless they are in battle pass).

Battle Pass also are driven by fomo.

They are pro corporation not pro consumers.

[RobertoCarlos]

Early access doesn’t mean much in this case. First season will happen in 1 month or so and when seasons start, almost no one will play non seasonal chars.

If it doesn't mean much why sell it?

Clearly people do care about seeing content before others

[Dhrizzle]

Activision 100% control what Blizzard does. Even Kaplan and others said about Overwatch, that it was Activision higher-ups that called-off Titan development and then "gave the chance" of using 6 months to salvage whatever Titan already had ready (which lead to OW). Activision has the keys to the money-locker and Blizzard does as Blizzard is told.

I don't remember them saying Activision ordered Titan cancelled but but's pretty decent of them to swallow the cost instead of releasing a game they weren't confident in.

[Verissaugh]

I don't see any value in this post. It feels like you are thinking out loud and not articulating as I critized you. Sorry.

How about this: if they lowered the price of the iPhone, it is expected that the sales would drop(ironically).

So lowering the price tag can for a fact hurt a company in many ways(not saying it's the same case here, but frankly you don't access to their motivation either). This is much more complex.

The question is: are seriously not going to buy one if the most iconic franchises in the industry because of the price? If you won't buy because of 'greed' - know that the 70 is the new 60(so what do you reply to that).

So you are buying it because its the most iconic franchise in the industry. So you wouldnt mind paying more, thats your arguement. And no, I wont buy something for that huge amount if I also have to pay for battle pass + MTX at the same time. I know they want the money, but me personally see it as greed on their part.

Iphone sales could drop due to it not being seen as the "premium" option anymore sure, but also would look like all they have is the brand and price going for them somewhat if so. (which is partly true.)

And we were never talking about lowering the price either(not sure why you bringed up lowering price when we talked about increase), more about them justifying the price increase. So apparently, you clearly have their motivation and know everything about it, otherwise you wouldnt be allowed to comment on it either right?

Nah. Its more like you sound extremely passive aggressive when you answer with either insults or critics. Like you are fully mad that others have different opinion than you, which is actually quite funny to read. Not that many who actually loves bobby like you.

And I also stated that the price increase is not great at this time due to the inflation and price increase on everything which will lower ppls personal economy so not everyone might be able to afford it normally like you. But blizzard aka activision dont care about that. (If ppl actually believe activision has nothing to do with blizzard and how they handle things, oh god they are so wrong. Money talks.)

70 is the normal 60 couz you accept it as the normal 70. Has always been like that.
Same if someone sells a game for 200 euro, and you accept it.
And like ive also stated, I dont see much issues with it being increased by 10 euro I just dont like when they also have battle pass + mtx you have to pay for. And most likely none of that extra money will be given to the devs as salary increase or something that rly benefits them.

[chiddie]

If it doesn't mean much why sell it?

Clearly people do care about seeing content before others

Agreed but “it’s not my problem”. If people want to pay an extra to see a movie some days before official day one, let them waste their money.

Since it seems that here we are all eager to blame Blizzard for whatever thing they do, I just wanted to point out that the advantage of logging in 4 days before in this case is quite negligible.

[RobertoCarlos]

Agreed but “it’s not my problem”. If people want to pay an extra to see a movie some days before official day one, let them waste their money.

Since it seems that here we are all eager to blame Blizzard for whatever thing they do, I just wanted to point out that the advantage of logging in 4 days before in this case is quite negligible.

It will seem negligible when people are 6 months in and going about life with seasons. But the "meh not my problem if people want to waste thier money" attitude is how you end up with these scenarios like early access in the first place

[Gorsameth]

It will seem negligible when people are 6 months in and going about life with seasons. But the "meh not my problem if people want to waste thier money" attitude is how you end up with these scenarios like early access in the first place

And that is a problem because...?

Seriously, there is enough actual predatory shit and cut content turned into day 1 DLC in the industry that I don't get why people make such a big deal out of early access if you want to pay for it in a PvE game and cosmetic stuff.

People are whining because its hip to whine about Blizzard, not because what they are doing with D4 is actually bad.

[chiddie]

So you are buying it because its the most iconic franchise in the industry. So you wouldnt mind paying more, thats your arguement. And no, I wont buy something for that huge amount if I also have to pay for battle pass + MTX at the same time. I know they want the money, but me personally see it as greed on their part.

Iphone sales could drop due to it not being seen as the "premium" option anymore sure, but also would look like all they have is the brand and price going for them somewhat if so. (which is partly true.)

And we were never talking about lowering the price either(not sure why you bringed up lowering price when we talked about increase), more about them justifying the price increase. So apparently, you clearly have their motivation and know everything about it, otherwise you wouldnt be allowed to comment on it either right?

Nah. Its more like you sound extremely passive aggressive when you answer with either insults or critics. Like you are fully mad that others have different opinion than you, which is actually quite funny to read. Not that many who actually loves bobby like you.

And I also stated that the price increase is not great at this time due to the inflation and price increase on everything which will lower ppls personal economy so not everyone might be able to afford it normally like you. But blizzard aka activision dont care about that. (If ppl actually believe activision has nothing to do with blizzard and how they handle things, oh god they are so wrong. Money talks.)

70 is the normal 60 couz you accept it as the normal 70. Has always been like that.
Same if someone sells a game for 200 euro, and you accept it.
And like ive also stated, I dont see much issues with it being increased by 10 euro I just dont like when they also have battle pass + mtx you have to pay for. And most likely none of that extra money will be given to the devs as salary increase or something that rly benefits them.

You don’t “have” to pay for bp and mtx, it’s like saying that in WoW you have to pay for all the mounts, pets and toys sold in the shop else your gameplay will be limited.

It’s all cosmetic stuff and more or less every game nowadays charges for cosmetic stuff, being it a major game or a indie game.

Fortnite built an empire around cosmetic stuff.

I instead agree on “70 being the new 60” being not THAT good, but it’s just as it goes. Everything ramped up in the last couple of years and PC games prices were at 60 dollars/euros for ages. Not the best time to add other 10 bucks, agreed, but there’s not much we can do about it, it’s not that people won’t buy for “just” a 10 bucks difference.

[Khaza-R]

And that is a problem because...?

Seriously, there is enough actual predatory shit and cut content turned into day 1 DLC in the industry that I don't get why people make such a big deal out of early access if you want to pay for it in a PvE game and cosmetic stuff.

People are whining because its hip to whine about Blizzard, not because what they are doing with D4 is actually bad.

Conversely, you shouldn't force your complicitness on others.

If people are tired of scummy tactics in the industry they should voice their opinions. Whether its Blizzard or whoever.

[RobertoCarlos]

And that is a problem because...?

Seriously, there is enough actual predatory shit and cut content turned into day 1 DLC in the industry that I don't get why people make such a big deal out of early access if you want to pay for it in a PvE game and cosmetic stuff.

People are whining because its hip to whine about Blizzard, not because what they are doing with D4 is actually bad.

You answered yourself within your post.

If people cared in the first place we wouldnt have so much predatory shit. That is my point. Lol...

[HansOlo]

So you are buying it because its the most iconic franchise in the industry. So you wouldnt mind paying more, thats your arguement. And no, I wont buy something for that huge amount if I also have to pay for battle pass + MTX at the same time. I know they want the money, but me personally see it as greed on their part.

Iphone sales could drop due to it not being seen as the "premium" option anymore sure, but also would look like all they have is the brand and price going for them somewhat if so. (which is partly true.)

And we were never talking about lowering the price either(not sure why you bringed up lowering price when we talked about increase), more about them justifying the price increase. So apparently, you clearly have their motivation and know everything about it, otherwise you wouldnt be allowed to comment on it either right?

Nah. Its more like you sound extremely passive aggressive when you answer with either insults or critics. Like you are fully mad that others have different opinion than you, which is actually quite funny to read. Not that many who actually loves bobby like you.

And I also stated that the price increase is not great at this time due to the inflation and price increase on everything which will lower ppls personal economy so not everyone might be able to afford it normally like you. But blizzard aka activision dont care about that. (If ppl actually believe activision has nothing to do with blizzard and how they handle things, oh god they are so wrong. Money talks.)

70 is the normal 60 couz you accept it as the normal 70. Has always been like that.
Same if someone sells a game for 200 euro, and you accept it.
And like ive also stated, I dont see much issues with it being increased by 10 euro I just dont like when they also have battle pass + mtx you have to pay for. And most likely none of that extra money will be given to the devs as salary increase or something that rly benefits them.

My problem is that you sound like anti Blizzard and i'm just super allergic. It's just the good old yacht metaphor over and over and over. They are not more greedy than any other company.

TBH - Diablo is one of the only leftover games lasting for almost 3 decades. So yeah - for me, Diablo is worth whatver it is. Maybe for you it's not worth it - but that is calculated by Blizzard - hence the pricetag. It's easier to sell 100 copies for 70 than 1000 for 7(it's basics).

And they should of course earn from it, it might even support D5 or WoW.