A lot of Diablo fans got really mad about Blizzard's 'Hardcode Mode' statue contest

pcgamer.com:

Last week, Blizzard announced a fun little competition for the most dedicated of Diablo fans: the first 1,000 Diablo 4 players to reach level 100 on Hardcore Mode—that's the permadeath mode—would have their names carved into a real-life statue of Lilith. As is the way with fun things on the internet, it almost immediately spiraled down into a social media morass of misery and anger.

The problem in the eyes of many is that the contest is open to all, including people who took part in the pre-release playtests. Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson attempted to address the complaints on Twitter by pointing out that all pre-release progress will be reset, meaning that everyone will be starting at the same time, but replies claimed that the real problem was one of knowledge: People who had played Diablo 4 prior to the public release will get off to a much stronger start than those jumping into it for the first time.

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But other, more esoteric complaints also bubbled up. Some on the Diablo forums, for instance, felt it was unfair because people with other responsibilities and things to do are also at a strong disadvantage. A few went so far as to call it a pay-to-win scheme because people who pre-purchase the game will get an early start; a few even worried that the perceived embrace of pay-to-win in this contest signals that Blizzard will be willing to take a similar approach with in-game play. Still others seemed unhappy that the contest isn't actually for the first 1,000 to reach level 100 in Hardcore Mode, but the first 1,000 to claim the accomplishment via Twitter, as required by the rules.