Blizzard Entertainment launched Diablo Immortal, a free-to-play "prequel" of its award-winning Diablo series, for iOS and Android devices, yesterday. It also launched an Open Beta for its PC version (though the game is built primarily with touch controls in mind for tablets and mobile devices). Despite its many predictable micro-transactions, it is getting rave reviews on the App Stores.

How many of you plan on playing Diablo Immortal?
_____
-=: Kaelon :=-

---
■ Synchronet ■ Vertrauen ■ Home of Synchronet ■ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Diablo Immortal
By: Kaelon to All on Thu Jun 02 2022 12:11 pm

> Blizzard Entertainment launched Diablo Immortal, a free-to-play "prequel" of
> its award-winning Diablo series, for iOS and Android devices, yesterday. It
> also launched an Open Beta for its PC version (though the game is built
> primarily with touch controls in mind for tablets and mobile devices). Desp
> its many predictable micro-transactions, it is getting rave reviews on the A
> Stores.
>
> How many of you plan on playing Diablo Immortal?
> _____
> -=: Kaelon :=-
>

Not me. I have pretty much given up with modern gaming. I am a bit tired of
where this industry is going and I can play old games I already own to my
heart'scontent anyway.

--
gopher://gopher.richardfalken.com/1/richardfalken

---
■ Synchronet ■ Palantir BBS * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL

Re: Diablo Immortal
By: Arelor to Kaelon on Thu Jun 02 2022 07:02 pm

> Not me. I have pretty much given up with modern gaming. I am a bit tired of
> where this industry is going and I can play old games I already own to my
> heart'scontent anyway.

That's actually not a bad attitude, in my opinion. So much is wrong with modern gaming, and the "games-as-a-service" slippery slope to micro-transaction hell is certainly paved with good intentions, but unavoidable. And that's kind of what Diablo Immortal is - a wonderful Diablo game, cloaked behind some of the most predatory and obscene micro-transaction blasphemy that I have ever seen.
_____
-=: Kaelon :=-

---
■ Synchronet ■ Vertrauen ■ Home of Synchronet ■ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Diablo Immortal
By: Kaelon to Arelor on Fri Jun 03 2022 09:28 am

Ka> That's actually not a bad attitude, in my opinion. So much is wrong with
Ka> modern gaming, and the "games-as-a-service" slippery slope to

Regarding games as a service, I remember hearing about Sega's Genesis game service in the early 90s where you could subscribe to get Sega Genesis games delivered over a cable channel. I thought that was an interesting idea, as an alternative to game rental (sometimes you might not want to buy a game but still want to try playing it).

Nightfox

---
■ Synchronet ■ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Re: Diablo Immortal
By: Nightfox to Kaelon on Fri Jun 03 2022 10:34 am

> Regarding games as a service, I remember hearing about Sega's Genesis game
> service in the early 90s where you could subscribe to get Sega Genesis games
> delivered over a cable channel. I thought that was an interesting idea, as
> an alternative to game rental (sometimes you might not want to buy a game
> but still want to try playing it).

Sega was definitely ahead of their time! They also tried to do something similar with the Sega Dreamcast, which along with the PlayStation 2 before it and the XBOX after it, was one of the few Internet-connected console devices of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

I definitely think that services like Xbox Live - where you have access to the entire library of games that Microsoft provides for a single monthly subscription - is totally destabilizing (and excitingly disruptive!) to the gaming marketplace. I love services like this that deliver real value to gamers and drive meaningful choices.

But "games-as-a-service" also includes the current dominant model (which I am not really a fan of), where a game - usually still in development - is released early, and a series of recurring fees (subscriptions) and one-time purchases (micro-transactions) are used to fund the profitability of the game. I much prefer paying full price for a fully developed game, and then being able to play it on my own terms, but this model has definitely mostly gone by the wayside. Now it's all about playing games that are "always connected," and "constantly improving," and that requires additional monetization. That's the wrong incentive, in my view.
_____
-=: Kaelon :=-

---
■ Synchronet ■ Vertrauen ■ Home of Synchronet ■ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net