Is it really a surprise that Diablo 4’s business model is a clone of Call of Duty?

I don’t know what’s worse, if we have to use Diablo 3’s old auction house argument as a way to better paint Diablo 4’s business model, or if our only options are various degrees of terrible.

In case it wasn’t already clear, yes, Diablo 4 shares its business model with Activision Blizzard’s other main franchise, Call of Duty. If you’ve played a Call of Duty game since 2019, you already know the kind of monetization scheme you’re in for.

In simple terms, both are $70 (minimum) games, with a ~$10 paid battle pass and paid premium cosmetics running anywhere from $8 to $28.

Somehow the publisher convinced players that it was a fair model, and I have to assume that most are happy with the way things are if the model not only continues in Call of Duty, but also makes it to Devil.

But while Reddit users can grab pearls on how expensive some of these packages areanyone who has been listening to what Blizzard has been saying should have expected a copy of the Call of Duty model.

Even after the mobile F2P Diablo Immortal got dragged down for its obscene microtransactions, Blizzard was comfortable telling players that while they shouldn’t expect Immortal-tier nonsense, Diablo 4, in a nutshell, will borrow the Call of Duty model. Duty.

I regretted this predictable, yet grim turn of events in August of last year when the statements were made.

The move itself was never a surprise, and Blizzard even used the same tired and frivolous argument that everything for sale is “optional” and strictly limited to cosmetics (although that requirement has been relaxed in Call of Duty). None of this is shocking in the abstract, but while Diablo 4 players shouldn’t be that surprised, they have a right to be angry.

Unlike Call of Duty, a first-person shooter where your wins and losses are defined primarily by a clock that signals the end of a match, Diablo is a living game that cares about your legacy. The character you start at launch in the coming days will remain on your account to come back and continue investing in for years to come.

I still have my launch characters from Diablo 3. I chuckled at one of their names while playing the game recently because it reminded me of a time I hadn’t thought about in a decade, a time when that particular name made sense to me. and a small group of friends back then.

All gear, unlocks, transmogs, world tier upgrades, model glyphs, and other currency and resources you accumulate over time will remain where they are. Your Diablo character is an extension of how you act in-game, and the way he is dressed/equipped is a reflection of that.

For a piece of it to be for sale robs that experience of its primary goals. I can tell you that I care a lot less about chasing endgame rewards because I know for a fact that the store will have something that will look so cool that I can spend money on in a weak moment.

I’ve done it in Call of Duty, and that game has nowhere to earn its top tier cosmetics, you can bet that when my Rogue looks like a demon risen from hell, I’m going to consider spending that $20 or so. Realizing that can only really bring me sadness.

“We want to buy things to feel good about, before, during and after the purchase,” Blizzard said at the time, vowing that “the sexiest cosmetics” won’t be exclusive to the store. The goal, according to the developer, is to have “more diversity of options.”

What these kind and smooth language blog posts never address is a question I’m sure we’ve all had: How can you expect the store to make money if the items are undesirable? If you have a business that sells a product, it’s in your best interest to make people want to spend money on it.

If you have to assign work to artists, modelers, animators, and the like, what armor set would you rather they spend their precious time creating? I bet it’s not the one that maybe 5% of players will find in a dark cave or ultra-difficult dungeon.

I have no doubt that the desire to make Diablo an MMO with Diablo 4 was largely due to Activision Blizzard’s salivation over the idea of ​​making Call of Duty out of Diablo. It’s too bad Blizzard can’t produce a game every year, but maybe when the Microsoft acquisition is clear, Kotick will get to work building a ten-studio support structure to deliver annual (premium) content for Diablo as well. . !