Diablo IV: The Best-Selling Game of the Year

Only a few brands in the gaming world automatically attract huge attention. Diablo is undoubtedly one of them – and the fourth installment, which is currently being released, will probably be the best-selling game of the year.

The Diablo series of games is like a drug. It is not dangerous, the only risk is the time it can take from you. It is extremely addictive. The simple principle in which the player traverses the world, kills monsters and acquires new items and abilities, has been perfected.

The first part was released in 1997, the second one from 2000 received the greatest recognition, which, in addition to a larger world, more playable professions, items and abilities, also offered almost endless replayability. Many players stayed with him even after the somewhat embarrassingly received Diablo III (2012).

The fourth part was waited for another eleven years. Meanwhile, the authors of the series, the American studio Blizzard Entertainment, like the protagonists of Diablo, fell deeper and deeper into hell.

From a well-respected team that turned each new title into a megahit, it became a maverick with a number of key developers leaving and new games being rather disappointing. The bad atmosphere in the studio, which faced a lawsuit for discrimination, sexual harassment and threats in the workplace, certainly played a role in this.

The partial reassurance was the release of Diablo II: Resurrected the year before last, a remaster of the most popular second part of the series, which was successful. But it was still just a polished edition of a well-functioning game, and long-time fans of the series looked at the upcoming fourth part with considerable distrust.

Here, however, Blizzard managed to distract over time. In the first videos and pictures, he showed that he is returning to the darker aesthetics of Diablo II after the more colorful third volume with graphic stylization.

Then in March, he let players touch the title through an open beta test, and the impressions were mostly very good. Rod Ferguson, who heads the Diablo series at Blizzard, noted in an interview with PCGamesN the fourth volume for the best Diablo ever.

It is not surprising because even in recent reviews, Diablo IV, which is released on June 6, is doing well, the average on the Metacritic aggregator is around 88 percent. The Windows Central website even called the title “Blizzard’s magnum opus” and “the most important game since World of Warcraft that exceeded all expectations”.

Which is important news in the turbulent times in which the studio finds itself. In addition to internal controversies, it attracted attention due to a giant deal involving its parent company, Activision Blizzard.

He wanted to buy Microsoft here for 69 billion dollars, but the deal was blocked by the British antitrust authority. However, it was later approved by the European Commission and there is a good chance that it will eventually pass through the regulatory network.

Diablo IV is poised to become this year’s biggest title, at least in terms of sales. Although it competes with the megahit Hogwarts Legacy, which sold an amazing fifteen million copies in three months, the power of the Diablo series should surpass even the adventures from the world of Harry Potter.

This was also shown last year when Blizzard released a mobile title called Diablo Immortal. It received a controversial reception due to its microtransaction model, which pushed players to spend quite a lot of money if they wanted to build a strong hero.

However, the conflicting policy and, above all, the possibility of taking Diablo on the road paid off for the players, the game brought Blizzard over 300 million dollars, i.e. more than seven billion crowns.

So far, Diablo IV has been filling the news mostly in a positive context. And also one interesting thing: it starts in collaboration with KFC and by buying selected meals you can unlock new clothes for your character in the game. But only in America.

Curiosities aside, of course the main thing takes place inside the game, not at fast food stands. And there the concept worked again, which rewards the player with more and more dopamine rewards in the form of better equipment or new spells in the fight against hundreds of monsters.

A principle that has worked for Blizzard for over 25 years – and which will probably bring it another fantastic income.