Could Diablo IV’s first expansion cost $49.99? $69.99? $99.99!?
All of these are possible scenarios, according to a survey leaked by the Bellular News channel that shows off all of the price points that Activision Blizzard is seemingly mulling for Vessel of Hatred, the new DLC for Diablo IV that Blizzard unveiled during its BlizzCon event earlier this month.
Here’s a copy of the table that can reportedly be found in the survey, which includes indication that Blizzard is even thinking about charging players for more stash tabs, and even shakos:
| Content | Option A | Option B | Option C | Option D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price for the expansion | $69.99 | $49.99 | $79.99 | $99.99 |
| A cosmetic armor (without stats) Includes 6 variants – one for each class | Hero Skin (New Class) | Hero Skin (New Class) | Hero skin for all classes | |
| A new mount that is not a horse. Could come with new features, such as cosmetic rewards for achievements. | Unique mount that evolves. | Unique mount | Unique mount armor | |
| Platinum that you will receive immediately on your account. | 2,000 ($20 value) | 1,000 ($10 value) | 3,000 ($30 value) | |
| A fixed amount of Platinum that you get every season. | 1,000 ($40 value) | 3,000 ($120 value) | 2,000 ($80 value) | |
| Cosmetic wings, with visual effects and animations. | wing | wing | ||
| Access to the premium version of the Battle Pass. | Full Year Accelerated Battle Pass (4 Seasons / $100 Value) | 1 Premium Battle Pass ($10 value) | Premium Battle Pass for a full year (4 seasons / $40 value) | |
| 4 days early access to the game. | 4 days before | 4 days before | ||
| NPC companion who can access your chest and pick up gold. | 1 season before launch | 1 season before launch | ||
| A new look and new animations for the city portal. | City Portal Skin | City Portal Skin | ||
| Early access to a functional item. For example, a unique piece of equipment or an aspect. | Unique item | Legendary aspect | ||
| More space in the chest for your loot. | A chest tab | Two chest tabs | Two chest tabs | |
| A copy of the Diablo 4 base game | Diablo 4 included | Diablo 4 included |
And here’s what Blizzard had to say about Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, which is scheduled for release in 2024:
Vessel of Hatred continues the grim tale that began in Diablo IV, as you learn the fate of the prime evil Mephisto and his demonic plans for Sanctuary. To do that, you’ll be visiting a region new to Diablo IV, known by the locals as Nahantu. With this continuation of the campaign’s story comes new ways to play, new evils to vanquish, and a brand-new Class never before seen in the Diablo universe. Vessel of Hatred releases late next year, and we can’t wait to share more about it with you next summer.
Diablo IV’s next event, Midwinter Blight, begins on December 12, while Season of Blood will run until the end of January.
Midwinter Blight is basically Diablo’s idea of Christmas, where players can head to the snowy/mountainous Fractured Peaks region to hunt down a “mysterious, red-cloaked terror.”
Abattoir of Zir, a new challenge that will put even the best builds to the test, is also scheduled to run from December 5 to January 23. Players who beat it will get access to a special Glyph that they can use to boost their power even further through Paragon boards.
“Vessel of Hatred should be free,” said one poster on the Blizzard Forums.
Discussion (8 replies)
Join Discussion →Insert, "you serious" meme.
Heh.
Glad I'm not into the the "mouse switch wear-out test" game.
I wasn't going to buy any Diablo game anyway, but I am even more sure I won't.
Seriously, if this is the way things are going, I might just go back to my old bad ways I haven't visited since I was a teenager in the 90's, except for the rare occasion to express displeasure at "always online, developer launcher required" single player releases.
Not because I can't afford it, but rather because this rampant abuse of pricing strategy is just insulting, and there is no way I am going to play along nicely and let them get what they want.
I'd still argue that no game in the history of games is worth more than $29.99
Well, there has been some inflation lately. I'll give them $34.99. That's the maximum perceived value I derive out of any game.
And with how much larger the gaming market is today, the costs of games development should be spread out over even greater numbers than back in the day, so rather than being more expensive, they should - in fact - be cheaper.
Stop paying stupid celebrities for their likenesses and voices instead. The games would probably be better without them anyway, as it is somewhat fourth wall breaking.
There is no way in hell an expansion for diablo is worth 100 bucks. That's just STUPID.
I guess they are targeting the same whales who bought horse armor and transmogs for 60 bucks.
$100 for an expansion to a game that went from $70 base game to $40 after 5 months. Yeah, sure, you betcha.
Obviously to exploit those addicted to the grind.
I've said it before: Diablo IV has turned out to be a dumpster fire. Now with improved graphics ...
Agreed. Honestly that should be the upper end. When I buy games it is usually in the $10-or-less range. A good amount of them are $5 or less. Occasionally I have no issues paying $15 or $20 for a game. I paid $8 for Metro Exodus + its two expansions. Now THAT is some value.
Price vs value is extremely relative, IMO.
I paid 100 something for Stellaris + all the expansions. With 564 hours into it so far, I feel like it was worth the price. An $8 game I play for 30 Minutes and give up was over priced.