Diablo fans are abuzz with excitement over the latest installment in the beloved franchise, Diablo: Immortal. But beneath the surface, concerns are brewing about the game's striking resemblance to NetEase's Crusaders of Light. The Chinese company, licensed to operate several Blizzard games, has been tasked with developing Diablo: Immortal for iOS and Android devices.
As fans dig deeper into the game's design, they're finding eerie similarities between Diablo: Immortal and Crusaders of Light. A recent Reddit thread sparked heated discussion about the two games' shared user interface, with many calling Diablo: Immortal a "reskin" of Crusaders of Light. Polygon's own experience playing Diablo: Immortal at BlizzCon 2018 confirms these suspicions – the UI is uncannily similar.
But what does this mean for Diablo: Immortal? Will it suffer from the same mixed reception as Crusaders of Light on PC, where user reviews are varied? The monetization structure for Diablo: Immortal remains unclear, leaving fans to speculate about the game's potential for microtransactions and in-game purchases.
The gameplay itself seems promising, with three playable classes (Barbarian, Wizard, and Monk) announced at BlizzCon 2018, alongside six additional classes set to be released. The art style, while distinct from Crusaders of Light, has sparked its own set of questions about the game's overall direction.
Fans' initial disappointment stems from Blizzard's attempts to manage expectations ahead of the announcement. But despite concerns over the game's potential for monetization and gameplay similarities, Diablo: Immortal still holds promise as a mobile gaming experience that expands the Diablo canon.
As Polygon's team wraps up their coverage of BlizzCon 2018, they'll be diving deeper into the world of Diablo: Immortal, exploring its possibilities and limitations. Will this mobile game development project win over fans or fall short of expectations? Only time will tell.