Diablo Immortal’s Chinese launch delayed at last moment

polygon.com:

Diablo Immortal, Blizzard’s controversial mobile game entry in its famous action-RPG series, has had its release in China delayed just days before it was due to launch.

The launch had been set for June 23, but a post on June 19 by the game’s co-developer and local publisher NetEase said that it needed to make further “optimizations”, including support for more devices and network and performance improvements. This is despite the game having enjoyed an apparently technically smooth rollout in Western territories, Japan, and South Korea at the start of June.

A further update by Blizzard said the launch had been delayed to July 7. “We believe that our players will benefit from optimization that would make the download and playing experience much smoother,” it said, detailing a few changes that would be made. These include changes to the order in which mobile devices download data while you install and play, and optimizations to support the “very diverse” install base of Android phones in China. Players in the region will get a compensatory package of gear and crafting materials.

However, questions are bound to be asked about other potential reasons for this delay. Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed out that the move comes a few days after Diablo Immortal’s account on China’s major social media platform, Weibo, was banned from making new posts. Weibo said the ban was for “violation of related laws and regulations.”

It’s reasonable to wonder if the game is headed for regulatory hot waters in China. Diablo Immortal has come under intense criticism for its monetization design, which some say is exploitative. There are reports that it would cost between $50,000 and $110,000 to fully max out a character via microtransactions.