Record Diablo Immortal revenues shows the grim future of video games as Blizzard thrives with pay-to-win features

sportskeeda.com:

For many, Diablo Immortal should be considered a major failure by Blizzard. As of the time of writing, the game has the lowest rating of all time on Metacritic. However, whatever decision that might have backfired for Blizzard in terms of fan perception seems to have worked in terms of revenue. What's more, this could set a bad precedent in terms of future games to come.

A major reason why Diablo Immortal got such a negative reception is due to its microtransactions. Blizzard has stayed true to its word by not making gears available in the store. Unfortunately, the move has been made redundant as players can obtain legendary gems.

The entire negativity is associated with this move, but it seems that the objective of Blizzard has been met in the first two weeks.

Multiple reports show that Blizzard has earned more than $24 million from Diablo Immortal since the game was released. This is quite shocking, considering only Hearthstone has earned more, although it has been active since 2014.

The results are worrying for two main reasons. Most of the revenue has come from American players, although they are not the most populated player base. The major reason for criticizing Diablo Immortal is how legendary gems can be obtained for real-life money. Moreover, they can be obtained from legendary crests and are locked behind a gacha.

The pity rate for obtaining one 5-star legendary gem is over $100, and players will need multiple if they want to optimize their character strengths. The revenue clearly shows whether or not players are okay with the system.

In an ideal world, Blizzard could have followed the same model it has done with games like Diablo III and Others. Under such a system, players would be required to pay a one-time fee