Kaylyn Hohn Blizzard’s new president, J. Allen Brack, addressed the controversy following the mobile game announcement at Blizzcon, in a statement on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Blizzard revealed that it was working on Diablo: Immortal, a mobile game based on the Diablo franchise, with NetEase. Fans were outraged with the announcement, calling it a “slap in the face”, and asking if it was meant to be an early “April Fool’s Joke”. Many were hoping, and expecting, for a Diablo 4 announcement that weekend.
Brack, who replaced Mike Morhaime, responded to the controversy during an earnings call, and expressed how thankful he was for the feedback given by fans, according to Gamespot.
“I think it’s clear there’s a lot of players who are eager for more Diablo PC and console content. That came through loud and clear from Blizzcon. Frankly, we feel fortunate to have a community that cares so much about the franchise. The commitment and the engagement of our community is one of the things that makes Blizzard very special and something we really appreciate,” Brack said.
There was some speculation circulating that Blizzard has actually meant to announce Diablo 4 at this year’s Blizzcon, in a video with co-founder Allen Adham, but it was pulled last minute. These reports were unconfirmed, though Blizzard confirmed it did not pull any announcements. According to a report by Kotaku, though, Diablo 4 is currently in development.
As of November 11, the cinematic trailer for Diablo: Immortal has over 607,000 dislikes on Youtube and only 23,000 likes. Despite this, Brack is certain fans are going to enjoy having a new way to experience Diablo.
“We feel that Diablo Immortal is going to deliver a very authentic Diablo experience, and we’re not going to compromise on that mission. Launching the game is only going to be the beginning. There’s going to be ongoing support. We’re only going to release the game when we feel like it is meeting the community’s very high standards. In the end, Diablo Immortal is going to fulfill that, and we think that people are going to experience it, and we think they’re going to love it,” he said.
No release date has been set for Diablo: Immortal yet, though pre-registration for the MMO mobile game is available for iOS and Android devices.
