Diablo Immortal has attracted tons of controversy for its microtransaction-heavy business model, but that hasn’t stopped Blizzard from laughing loudly all the way to the bank. Statistics shared by mobile market intelligence tool AppMagic can reveal that the free-to-play game has already earned over $24 million in revenue for Activision Blizzard, with over 5 million downloads since its open beta launch on June 2 for PC, iOS, and Android platforms. These numbers cement Diablo Immortal as Blizzard’s second-highest mobile earner, surpassed only by Hearthstone, the developer’s “deceptively simple, insanely fun” strategy card game. It’s been reported that Diablo Immortal players must spend over $100,000 if they wish to fully upgrade a character.
The use of microtransactions as part of Diablo Immortal’s leveling has been criticised, however, as some players argue that they feel at a distinct disadvantage if they are playing without purchasing in-game items. This displeasure has been reflected in the game’s Metacritic user score, which for the PC version of Diablo Immortal presently sits at 0.3 – an all-time low for any PC game, ever.
Players have also noticed a discrepancy in how the game awards legendary gems, which are crucial for completing Diablo Immortal’s late and endgame challenges. The in-game loot which a player can obtain during a single day has also been found to have been discretely capped, meaning that players are forced to log in and play every day if they want to make the most out of their time grinding endgame dungeons.