A Diablo 4 ‘friends-and-family alpha test’ is reportedly underway
An “early build” of Diablo 4 is apparently being used for a “friends-and-family alpha test” according to a recent report.
The report comes from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier who wrote on Twitter that a “fun but minor Blizzard tidbit” he’s heard is that “a bunch of people are playing an early build of Diablo 4 right now thanks to a friends-and-family alpha test.”
According to Schreier, the “players are under NDA” and therefore cannot speak publicly about what they’re doing but he adds, “I'm hearing mostly positive buzz”.
Another fun but minor Blizzard tidbit that I haven't seen reported anywhere yet: a bunch of people are playing an early build of Diablo IV right now thanks to a friends-and-family alpha test. Players are under NDA, but I'm hearing mostly positive buzzAugust 3, 2022
When quizzed by another Twitter user on what he means by “positive” and if it’s in regards to gameplay or microtransactions, Schreier notes that he doesn’t think microtransactions are actually in the build being tested so these players won’t be able to get a gauge on the monetization.
The Diablo 4 development team has previously said that the game’s microstransactions will be restricted to «optional cosmetic items and full story-driven expansions». It’s not surprising, however, that this is being asked given the furore around Diablo Immortal’s approach to microtransactions which, in our review, we noted “compromised some of the most important elements of a Diablo game.”
For anyone keen to get their hands on Diablo 4 (it feels safe to say that’s probably a lot of people) this will be an excruciating tease. Especially after a beta showed up on Battle.net recently, only for Rod Fergusson(opens in new tab) to have to clarify that it was for “an internal
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