Blizzard on 'Diablo Immortal:' The reaction of the fans has gone through 'Strong and clear' – Variety

BlizzCon's reaction to BlizzCon's "Diablo Immortal" was "stifled," according to Activision Blizzard President and COO Coddy Johnson. But Blizzard President J. Allen Brack was a little more direct with his evaluation of the game revealed this weekend, which angered some of the biggest fans of Diablo.

"So we observed an interesting reaction to the announcement," Brack said when calling the third quarter results of Activision Blizzard. "I think it's clear that a lot of players want more content for Diablo computers and consoles. I think that came out clearly from the BlizzCon. And frankly, we feel lucky to have a community that cares so much about this franchise. I think the commitment and commitment of our community is one of the things that makes Blizzard so special. It's something we really appreciate and we like to hear the things they articulate about what they want to hear next and what we can do better, frankly. "

The opening ceremony of the BlizzCon, an ever richer event in news and unveiling, ended with Diablo. While Blizzard had warned in the weeks leading up to the show that there would be no significant news from Diablo, some fans were hoping for news of "Diablo 4". Instead, the company has announced a smartphone version of the game in development with Netease. The reaction varied, ranging from anger to disbelief. A fan asked at the live session if the unveiling was a joke from the start of April Fool's Day and that netizens said the game would simply look like an existing Netease title. In a follow-up interview with Variety, Blizzard stated that the game was built from scratch and did not use any existing mobile titles. The company also confirmed that it was actively working on other Diablo games, but it did not specify whether there was the "expected Diablo 4".

Related

During the call of the earnings analyst, Johnson spoke about the game while referring to the continued activation of Activision Blizzard in the mobile.

"Mobile remains the largest and most dynamic gaming platform in the world," Johnson said. "And while King is an undisputed leader in mobile, we continue to invest in the Activision and Blizzard franchises for mobile versions. For example, Activision is collaborating with Tencent on Call of Duty Mobile, bringing the biggest franchise of the last two decades to the largest gaming market in the world, and of course also to a Western audience where, as Bobby pointed out Call of Duty is already one of the most successful entertainment franchises in history.

"And last week, Blizzard announced Diablo Immortal, which will bring this tenfold franchise to a mobile audience in both East and West. Although the reaction of the fans was stifled by this announcement, the practical experience of the players … confirmed what we believe, namely that Diablo Mobile will be a very well received game when it was released, and that players around the world will love it.

"These are just two of the many mobile initiatives underway at Activision and Blizzard. King's mobile expertise is now shared across the company, allowing our famous PC and console franchisees to expand their reach. "

Later during the call, an analyst asked for more comments on the BlizzCon revelation and on "Diablo Immortal" itself.

"Diablo is a major tented franchise for Blizzard Entertainment, and we have several teams working on several different projects for the Diablo community," said Brack. "We believe that 'Diablo Immortal' will offer a very authentic Diablo experience and we will not compromise on this mission. Starting the game will only be the beginning. Ongoing support will be available, and we will only release the game when we feel like we are meeting the very high standards of the community. In the end, 'Diablo Immortal' will get there, and we think people will experience it, and we think they'll like it. "

Brack added that he thought the mobile was an important opportunity for the Diablo franchise.

"Mobile is the biggest gaming platform today," he said. "And integrating a game like a mobile on this platform in a way that really reflects our quality standards can, in my opinion, open a lot. It can open this franchise and other franchises to a global audience, including people who do not have a PC. , or especially in China where Blizzard is a very, very strong western brand. "