There was a massive revelation at BlizzCon 2021, which has been termed BlizzConline because of it being conducted online due to the ongoing pandemic. According to the Diablo developers, their latest installation, Diablo Immortal is set to be a mobile game. The game on PC will be an action-based RPG with MMO features, at the very least, if not completely falling under the MMO category.

The technical alpha that concluded revealed many features that will be embedded into the game, including the four-player dungeons that have been talked about since a long time. The public voice chat feature is also something that will please the fans of the franchise, especially with many games of a similar genre limiting voice chats to parties, teams, or the same lobby, if at all. Other features witnessed in the technical alpha include a potential PvP arena type area which will feature a King-of-The-Hill type feel for the players combatting each other to get the designated reward, drop or chest. 

However, what would be music to the fans would be the following two things. Firstly, the game is a free-to-play one based on the freemium model. However, it will not have the Pay to Win feel that other freemium games have. Diablo Immortal will have in-game transactions available for users but only to the extent of being able to purchase gems and charms among other effects. Players will not have to dive into the microtransactions to unlock any weapons, levels or characters, which will be a huge attraction for users who have become frustrated with the Pay to Win model. 

Another feature that is promising is the fact that the game has been tailored to fit the mobile mechanics as much as possible without going away from the ‘Diablo’ feel. Basically, the missions and levels will have a maximum time of 5 minutes so that the players can achieve and complete the same in a few minutes. This also advocates for the prospect of taking rest from mobile games every now and then and will allow players to move away from the game without affecting their levels or missions. The brightness has also been adjusted to make the entire game visibly appealing for the players without going full ‘Diablo 3’, which was criticised for moving away from the grim Diablo vibe that made it a cult hit in the first place. 

There are also plans to introduce Battle Passes, which have become commonplace in games right now. The Battle Pass, as usual, will allow users to receive rewards on certain levels, with it having two paths, a Free one and a Premium one, which has to be purchased. There are also plans to inculcate gameplay never seen before in the Diablo franchise, something combat designer Julian Love has been looking forward to.

Love said,” You’ve got this whole new problem for players: the ground is slippery, and there’s a wind blowing against you this way, and if I move with the wind I’m faster but slipping all over the place, but if I fight the wind, I don’t have traction. These are whole new problems for the player to solve.”

This does hint towards the addition of environmental effects like wind, cold, surface and more into the game mechanics and making users think of those effects while choosing their steps. It will be interesting to see how users will interact and deal with such effects.

There will be another technical alpha rollout soon, with the next one allowing players to level up to Level 60, the maximum in game, compared to the current technical alpha only having 45 Levels. Since it will allow players to maximise their levels, users will be privy to some end-game content and additional features in the next technical alpha while there should be adjustments made to the features shown in the current technical alpha based on how it has been received. 

One thing is sure; 2021 will see the return of Diablo, and Diablo Immortal will be a mobile game. The steps taken by the developers sure seem to be precise, keeping the volatile mobile market industry in mind.