The way Blizzard handled the release — and development — of Diablo Immortal has left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. Heck, that might even be an understatement. It just wasn’t a good look for a company that was once held in the highest of regards.
It was, also, a sign that the times have changed. Blizzard gave precedence to maximizing profits, and did so in the most egregious way imaginable. Delivering a product worthy of one’s attention (not to mention hard-earned money) was more of an afterthought.
The backlash was unlike anything we had seen. The Diablo fan base is one defined by fervent passion and an unyielding love towards the source material; millions upon millions of gamers aired their thoughts and opinions in the most direct way imaginable.
And they, in short, had no mercy.
With all of this in mind, we’re absolutely, one-hundred percent sure that Blizzard isn’t going to make the same mistake twice — especially not after experiencing the scorching ire of the community.
Blizzard, alongside NetEase — the second-largest game developer in China — made numerous different mistakes, all of which were costly. The way Diablo Immortal was monetized and advertised, the fact that some of its components were locked behind a paywall, the way it was presented to the world — these were all horrendous moves that signaled that Blizzard was, for the most part, completely out of touch with its target audience.
Diablo Immortal may have been a financial success, but its release — and sheer existence — resulted in a kind of resentment and criticism that was seldom seen.
Diablo 4 on Mobile — Plausible, Technically Speaking
Diablo 4, in essence, was never designed or created with mobile phones or tablets in mind. It’s a full-fledged Diablo experience — the one we’ve all been waiting for for over a decade. Immortal, in that sense, was more of a “stopgap” solution, something for fans of the series to sink their teeth into until the real game came out.
It was also a blatant cash grab and a debacle that will long be remembered.
With all of this in mind, we’re absolutely certain that Blizzard isn’t even thinking about porting Diablo 4 over to mobile. The game itself is way too big and visually complex, and while watering it down and omitting certain features and elements might be possible, it would nonetheless result in a subpar experience.
At that point, one may well resort to playing Diablo Immortal..
To summarize: Diablo 4 is built strictly for PC and console audiences and will not be getting a mobile port of any kind further down the line.