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Blizzard is offering free Diablo IV beta access to fans who express their undying love for the series in an inky, irreversible way.
According to GamesRadar, the company is running a unique 25th-anniversary promotion that offers players the chance to play Diablo IV early, but only if they are willing to get a themed tattoo based on a character or demon from the franchise. Those who participate in the so-called Hell's Ink Tattoo Shop Takeover will receive a redeemable code as thanks for "offering their flesh," granting them access to the first Diablo IV beta, which is expected to launch later this year.
Throughout the late summer, the tour will travel across various tattoo parlors in the U.S. and make stops in Europe and Australia. The first inking session took place in Los Angeles on July 16, with the next one scheduled in Chicago on July 23. New York and Miami are the next destinations on July 30 and August 6. The tour will then visit London on August 13 and Berlin on August 18 before going down under, making its final stops in Melbourne on September 3 and Sydney on September 10. A list of the participating tattoo parlors in each city can be found on Blizzard's website.
"Diablo fans around the world have turned to tattoos to manifest not just their passion for the franchise, but the stories of family, friendships, and memories they've made playing Diablo games," the post read. "Each Diablo Hell's Ink takeover event will feature some of the world's greatest tattoo artists creating bespoke tattoos, inspired by the Diablo universe with their own unique art style, for a few of the world's biggest Diablo fans."
The post also included rules for a competition in which fans could win a free Diablo tattoo at one of the various takeover events, though entries closed last month. However, die-hard fans are still encouraged to show up at participating parlors on event day, where they can get a paid Diablo-themed inking on a first-come, first-served basis.
Blizzard is anxious to be in fans' good graces again following the nightmarish rollout of Diablo Immortal last month, which saw fans furiously accusing the company of making the game pay-to-win. The outrage and subsequent review bombing saw Diablo Immortal's user review score plummet to an abysmal 0.2 out of 10 on Metacritic, making it the lowest-rated game on the platform.
Despite the backlash, development on Diablo IV continues, with Blizzard aiming to make it the most inclusive entry in the series thus far by adding a deep character customization system. The game is expected to launch sometime in 2023.
Source: Twitter via GamesRadar, Blizzard