Diablo 4: Improvements Blizzard Really Needs To Make

It may be a matter of opinion for some that say Hearthstone is a friendly game for free-to-play players, but this writer has to agree with James "Firebat" Kostesich, the first World Champion of the game and currently one of the best in the Grandmasters Tour.


Similar to Rocket League , Overwatch is a game you can play with your friends in short bursts or in long hauls while trying to rank up. Have ten minutes to waste while you’re waiting for your favorite show to start? Why not jump into a social game and try out a new hero you’ve never used before. Looking for something more hardcore? Pick your best hero, put on a headset, and take a seat as you play match after match with friends trying to rank up while you call out enemy locati

Cosmetic items are also an obvious place where Blizzard could be making money. It's honestly rather surprising to see that so much is given away freely in Diablo 4 endgame guide 3 , including wings, pets, pendants, and more.

Hearthstone has three expansions a year, and what appears to be the same number of solo adventures following about a month after each release. Each brings 135 new cards that must be acquired to remain competitive, and a way to be involved as a free-to-play user. Unless, of course, you want the premium class skins. In that case, one needs to purchase the $79.99 USD pre-order.

Overwatch is perhaps the least demanding of a consumer’s cash as it only has a single purchase point to access the game, but then has the benefit of loot boxes for the many cosmetic skins created for events scattered throughout the year. With that said, the esports push in the Overwatch League (OWL) likely keeps it relevant enough to justify additional development.

Following the disastrous announcement of Diablo: Immortal at BlizzCon 2018, players were somewhat relieved to learn that Diablo 4 is finally in development. Recently here at TheGamer, we discussed how the failure of the Real Money Auction House (RMAH) was a catalyst that shifted how Diablo 3 was developed, and subsequently abandoned long before its original vision was fulfilled. This included the cancellation of a second expansion called The King of the North, and the rumor of a cancelled Druid class.


DOOM had been hibernating for far too long, and Bethesda and id Software knew that it was time for the Doom Guy to awaken from his slumber in a literal fashion. DOOM (2016) didn’t try and reinvent the character, but instead brought him back as the Doom Slayer, a man who fears no Hell, for he has conquered it. The Doom Slayer rips, tears, and kills demons like a hobby , just like he did way back in 1993’s original DOOM g


However, this didn't work for everyone, and plenty of fans would prefer Diablo to maintain its dark, gothic roots and gloomy palette. It's easy to see why, as well: diablo 4 dungeons 2 in particular is distinct among its peers, and it's still a game with a tone that rings true today. Moving back towards this, and away from a change of pace that some felt was too close to Warcraft for comfort, could really make Diablo 4 a big hit with f

While fans of the series are probably happy to hear that the next sequel is in the works, taking a good, hard look at how Blizzard has monetized its games for the long-term leaves little doubt that Diablo 4 will be anything but a constant cash grab. This is not pessimism towards the company or the series, but instead, an objective consideration of Blizzard’s other games, and how their games-as-a-service design manage to pull in revenue in a way that Diablo 3 could not.

Blizzard’s current business model is to create games that demand an infusion of cash from their consumers for them to remain relevant in the content of the game, to for the company to justify its developmental resources. Take a brief look at the 2018 earnings below. See a pattern here? All of these games, including those of Activision, and Candy Crush, are always bringing in constant revenue.

The more probable idea is to split the game into episodes, similar to what was done with Starcraft II over its long development and release. Alternatively, the game could go the route of World of Warcraft , which is to say that Blizzard could release expansions more frequently, perhaps every year or so. These would provide not only a small amount of new content, but also an all-important level cap increase to gate progression for existing players unless they buy in.


The grind for loot is only worthwhile if the loot is good. Diablo 3 introduced an interesting concept to have players grind for more and more personal power, but this had the effect of making the items less interesting or import

Finally, Blizzard could also release new classes at halfway points between each expansion. They could start with a basic set of five classes, much like the release of Diablo 3 , and then add our old favorites again, including the Necromancer, Druid, Paladin/Crusader, Amazon, and whatever other fan-favorite classes would ensure another purchase. Unlike expansions, these would not be mandatory, but few would pass up a new class in their favorite game!