Oh Blizzard, how you have fallen (Diablo Immortal).

[Mendzia]

Everything is free in the game.

The shop is there only for people who want to compete and competition is always costly. Whats wrong with you? have you thought you are playing a game designed by a nonprofit company or charity?

No.
I want to see standard 'pay once' and have all content available and fair for everyone.
I would wait a few months and check people opinions if the game is worth it and then eventually buy it as an old huge Diablo fan.

[Nymrohd]

No.
I want to see standard 'pay once' and have all content available and fair for everyone.
I would wait a few months and check people opinions if the game is worth it and then eventually buy it as an old huge Diablo fan.

Cool. They are not making that game though. With games as a service and with people expecting to pick a game and play it for the rest of their lives, there needs to be constant revenue streams.

[Tarba]

That's a free to play game. So obviously it's a crappy cash grab game targeting people stupid enought to spend more money in it thant they would in actual game. That's a big market.
Welcome in the free to play mobile gaming world.

[Kumorii]

Btw where are the lootboxes? I looked through the shop for a bit and I don't think I saw anything that was random. There were cosmetics, crafting mats and bundles.

Are people considering the crests lootboxes now? Because the randomness comes from what the rift can drop, not from the purchase and you can also acquire crests in game without paying.

I would say, spending money to open chests to get RNG stuff is lootboxes. They bank on the same idea as other lootboxes, pay more, gamble more, get more.
That was the case in Dota 2. In LoL I'm mostly talking about heroes and skins, and buying heroes is indeed in the same ballpark as buying gear.

My main point is that, if you enjoy a free game and are against mtx or lootboxes, then you have to be prepared to pay for the game itself when that change happens. People can't pay for you anymore and games costs money to make, that's a reality. If it's not an issue to have mtx or lootboxes beause you can earn things ingame very few games should be demonized. Can't say I played a mtx heavy game where things aren't earned by playing, it just takes forever.

Not all microtransactions are lootboxes, first of all.

Well, I see more people being against both rather than one of them.

I agree with the rest of your post though. I wouldn't mind it if it happened...

[Dhrizzle]

Man how times have changed. A decade ago Blizzard were raked over the coals for including RMAH in release D3. Now in 2022 people defend even worse MTX practices, incredible stuff.

People grow up and stop whining about stuff they can ignore.

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With Netease, which you left out.

Netease said the game was just about ready to be released but Blizz said there were still tweaks they wanted to make. That was 3 years ago, I think even with Covid it's safe to say that Blizzard put a lot in to it.

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The game is illegal in Belgium and the Netherlands because those countries do consider the business model predatory and unethical.

It's actually because they consider loot box mechanics to be gambling.

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Gotta start somewhere. Don't download it. Incentivize people that share the same sentiment not to even bothering to install. etc.

Excusing it on "Can't do anything, other people will" is a sure way to keep things the same way.

Have you tried stamping your feet and holding your breath too?

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Which is somewhat worrying for Diablo Immortal. Because games like Overwatch are still perfectly playable in Belgium and Netherlands, just with lootboxes disabled (or is it just the ability to buy them being disabled?).

Diablo Immortal is not offering such a choice, meaning that the lootboxes are such an integral part of the gaming experience, that there is no disabling them. The game is straight-up banned as a result. Makes me really not interested to even check the game.

Overwatch has a box price and random loot isn't a core part of the experience, much easier to remove lootboxes from the equation.

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This is the epitome of "dont ever give feedback, just live with how things are and get abused by everyone around you".

If you dont speak up when you see things you dont like you are a sheep.

Blizzard took a huge nosedive with the announcement of diablo immortal and they need to know now again that they fucked up.

p2w does not make for good game experiences. No matter the target audience. You can bet your ass that neither my daughter or my son will have any of these games on their tablets. So even if they are the target audience, they wont be playing it.

If you think a video game company selling you things is "abuse" you really need to shift perspectives, and calling people "sheep" is something only sheep do.

[Mendzia]

Cool. They are not making that game though. With games as a service and with people expecting to pick a game and play it for the rest of their lives, there needs to be constant revenue streams.

Yes... that is the problem.
They focus p2w whales instead Diablo fans wanting good and fair game.

[Dhrizzle]

No.
I want to see standard 'pay once' and have all content available and fair for everyone.
I would wait a few months and check people opinions if the game is worth it and then eventually buy it as an old huge Diablo fan.

Publishers have tried that and it just doesn't work on the mobile market for some reason so I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Nymrohd]

Yes... that is the problem.
They focus p2w whales instead Diablo fans wanting good and fair game.

They have been working on Diablo 4 for like a decade? We get quarterly updates on it? This was mostly made by NetEase?

[Dhrizzle]

I would say, spending money to open chests to get RNG stuff is lootboxes. They bank on the same idea as other lootboxes, pay more, gamble more, get more.
That was the case in Dota 2. In LoL I'm mostly talking about heroes and skins, and buying heroes is indeed in the same ballpark as buying gear.

My main point is that, if you enjoy a free game and are against mtx or lootboxes, then you have to be prepared to pay for the game itself when that change happens. People can't pay for you anymore and games costs money to make, that's a reality. If it's not an issue to have mtx or lootboxes beause you can earn things ingame very few games should be demonized. Can't say I played a mtx heavy game where things aren't earned by playing, it just takes forever.

More likely they'll go for the Candy Crush model where you get so many "lives" and when they're gone you have to pay to play more or wait for them to regenerate. We'll finally achieve the 80s dream of having an authentic arcade experience in our homes!

[deenman]

For shame. Lowering yourself to the "if you disagree with the haters you must be paid to say it or otherwise in their pocket." Is there any cheaper ad hominem?

i dont think there is any worse lowering than defending the practises of this company,how any1 could spew the shit he did unironicaly is truly amazing

[MrLachyG]

The game is illegal in Belgium and the Netherlands because those countries do consider the business model predatory and unethical.

wrong. it's because of lootboxes. if you're going to make shit up, at least make shit up that is hard to disprove.

[Elzix]

I would like to try it but too bad they didnt release it in The Netherlands .
Sending a couple of euros on a game is not a big deal but making the game a cashgrab and P2W is just shameless.

[qwerty123456]

Man how times have changed. A decade ago Blizzard were raked over the coals for including RMAH in release D3. Now in 2022 people defend even worse MTX practices, incredible stuff.

mobile games have taken over. It shouldn't be surprising that there are people defending the practices when you got F2P players who don't give a shit that addicts are being taken advantage of because they get a free game out of it and people wanting to flex their epeen by using a creditcard instead of skill.

[Nymrohd]

mobile games have taken over. It shouldn't be surprising that there are people defending the practices when you got F2P players who don't give a shit that addicts are being taken advantage of because they get a free game out of it and people wanting to flex their epeen by using a creditcard instead of skill.

I'd say any type of flexing epeens is problematic tbh.

[Mendzia]

Publishers have tried that and it just doesn't work on the mobile market for some reason so I wouldn't hold my breath.

Last few years has shown us that even tons of indie studios with a few programmers are able to produce great games like Vampire Survivors, V Rising, Minecraft, Terraria, Stardew Valley, Celeste and many more. Some of them became their own leagues of success. Most of them can be played on mobiles.
Multi-dollar company like Blizzard is able to do more than that.

They have been working on Diablo 4 for like a decade? We get quarterly updates on it? This was mostly made by NetEase?

Ok... but what it has to do with this game?
Do you expect D4 being pay2play game? Personally - i don't.

[Kumorii]

More likely they'll go for the Candy Crush model where you get so many "lives" and when they're gone you have to pay to play more or wait for them to regenerate. We'll finally achieve the 80s dream of having an authentic arcade experience in our homes!

Oh...oh no...

[ClassicPeon]

Because of lootboxes and mtx...?

They also have a healthy e-sport scene. And yeah, very few games will be free because they think they gonna be a huge e-sport game. Especially a mobile game. Imagine pitching that.

Take note I'm not making an argument that games should have these things, just saying that the reason why free games exists is because others pay for you.

You mean the cosmetic lootboxes? That is not p2win mate.

Thats the major difference.

In D. immortal you pay for better loot and more power(power thats arguably not attainable for a f2p player). In LoL you pay for cosmetics.

[Orby]

Its a mobile game what did people expect? Its no more predatory than every other mobile game. Plus this is Blizzard too, so mobile game + Blizzard and yea double the predatory. And Blizzard know all about being predators

also the people defending this shit is to be expected. Be grateful the Indy scene is booming and has plenty of games you buy to play like how games should be. For triple A games companies this is the norm going forward and its going to get worse before it gets better, the sad but realistic state of our future..

[ClassicPeon]

If you think a video game company selling you things is "abuse" you really need to shift perspectives, and calling people "sheep" is something only sheep do.

Where in my quoted post did i mention anything about "abuse" ?

And i completely stand by my opinion. If a person does not voice his concerns when he sees bad behavior he is a sheep.

Also by your logic you just called yourself a sheep.

[Nymrohd]

Last few years has shown us that even tons of indie studios with a few programmers are able to produce great games like Vampire Survivors, V Rising, Minecraft, Terraria, Stardew Valley, Celeste and many more. Some of them became their own leagues of success. Most of them can be played on mobiles.
Multi-dollar company like Blizzard is able to do more than that.



Ok... but what it has to do with this game?
Do you expect D4 being pay2play game? Personally - i don't.

Well this is this game and it is meant for this market. A game is being created for the market you suggested so we just have to wait and see. Having P2W elements and heavy MTX in a made for mobile game is not surprising. Using that as evidence for the financial model of a different game for a different market is not really cogent.