In a group interview with Diablo Immortal devs we sat in on prior to the game’s launch, the topic of how microtransactions will be handled was a major topic of discussion. P2W vs F2P /YSOMDsh3nv- Zack JTo see this content please enable targeting cookies. Axios video game reporter, Stephen Totilo, was among one of the first to post about the opportunity to buy a limited-time treasure box after completing a dungeon on June 1. These gems are just the main offender, too! Other less-impactful but still slimy examples of monetization are easy to find. Through paying real money, you can circumvent a huge grind and slingshot your way to the top of server leaderboards, which as you can imagine has been ample fuel for the burning backlash now present across social media. These gems, when upgraded, provide crucial stats and combat rating upgrades that improve your effectiveness in all avenues of gameplay.

First reported on by GameRant, it costs up to $110,000 to fully upgrade a character in Diablo Immortal, and most of that is due to the gem system. This aspect of the game’s monetisation isn’t too clear to players as they first level through the game, but is by far the grossest example of pay-to-win in the mobile title. This surge of anger is aimed towards a particular pain point: legendary gem upgrades.

You can watch the Diablo Immortal trailer above. It takes only a brief scroll through the games main Reddit page to see a downpour of criticism and frustration splashing around, backed by a thundering storm of community members who left the game shocked by the monetization, or those trying to weather the storm without dropping too much cash on it. However, it appears there’s no rest for the mobile ARPG post-launch either, as a growing number of players, Diablo fans, and spectators from afar appear appalled at the microtransactions present in the game. Diablo Immortal is a title seemingly destined to be surrounded by controversy and skepticism, a trend that first became noticeable since its initial reveal back at Blizzcon 2018.

Diablo immortal honest trailer