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Activision Blizzard's Diablo Immortal's name might be fitting, as the title appears to have gained some immortality for itself. Recent data suggests it is the most hated game in the last twenty years.
According to Metacritic, Diablo Immortal's PC version has a user rating score of 0.2 out of 10 with over 2,000 reviews. Prior to this, Blizzard's lowest-rated game was 2021's re-release of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, which earned a 0.5 score primarily due to its microtransactions and faction system, both of which were heavily criticized. Diablo Immortal's iOS version tied with The Burning Crusade's previous record.
Diablo Immortal quickly met with a strong hostile reception from fans and critics after its release on June 2, with most fixating on its emphasis on microtransactions. As designed, the game makes it impossible for non-paying players to compete against those that pay, despite touting itself as a "free-to-play" title. All of the best gear can only be claimed through purchase or sheer luck -- estimates put the total time to match a paying player's gear at taking upwards of decades to achieve. The anger came not only from its pay-to-win setup but the fact that it is enormously expensive for those that do pay. In order to fully level base gear, it would cost them anywhere from $60,000-$110,000.
Other notable problematic elements of the game include a $25 charge for a chance to upgrade any loot won at the end of a 4-minute rift gameplay. Some streamers have reported witnessing players spend more on the pay-for-loot feature in a day than it costs for a gaming PC. Because of the gambling nature of Diablo Immortal, the Netherlands and Belgium banned the game in those countries. "Diablo Immortal will not be available in Belgium or the Netherlands, and will not appear on Battle.net or the Belgian and Netherlands App or Google Play Stores," said a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard. "This is related to the current operating environment for games in those countries. Accordingly, pre-registrations for the game are not accessible in those markets."
Blizzard delayed Diablo Immortal last year to "add substantial improvements to the whole game." Prophetically, Diablo Immortal earned fan derision when it was announced in 2018, as many blamed the poor reception to a mobile release for Blizzard's withholding a Diablo 4 reveal. Ultimately, Blizzard reversed its decision to keep Diablo Immortal a mobile-only release, eventually announcing it would also be available on PC.
Diablo Immortal is free-to-play on mobile devices and PC now.