Diablo 4 Will Not Be Monetized Like Diablo Immortal, Blizzard Promises

With that awesome showcase of Diablo 4 during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, one does wonder if the action RPG will take a different payment and retail route. Blizzard reassured many, many gamers that it will stay mostly the same like past Diablo titles.

A tweet from Diablo boss Rod Fergusson (of Gears of War fame) said that the upcoming Diablo 4 is a full price game that’s made for PC and consoles.

To be clear, D4 is a full price game built for PC/PS/Xbox audiences. We are committed to delivering an incredible breadth of content after launch, for years to come, anchored around optional cosmetic items & full story driven expansions. More details soon. Necro blog tomorrow!

— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) June 12, 2022

This is in spite of the fact that Blizzard put up a product manager job listing for Diablo 4 that involves an in-game store.

“You will play a critical role in managing the Diablo 4 in-game store experience for millions of players around the world. As this is a key component of Diablo 4’s seasonal content strategy, you will be the tip of the spear planning the content release schedule, configuring products using our internal tooling, and working with stakeholders across disciplines to ensure regular updates to the store throughout each season go smoothly.”

Blizzard head Mike Ybarra and Diablo global community lead Adam Fletcher reaffirmed Rod’s previous tweet, stating the game is a normal retail title with optional cosmetic items and full expansions (eventually).

https://twitter.com/Qwik/status/1536069058512072705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1536069058512072705%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamer.com%2Fblizzard-promises-diablo-4-wont-be-monetized-like-diablo-immortal%2F

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D4 is coming out as a full price game built strictly for PC/console audiences. The game is huge & there will be tons of content after launch for all players. Paid content is built around optional cosmetic items & eventually full expansions. We will be sharing more info soon!

— Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) June 12, 2022

This means Diablo 4 may be using the Overwatch model: full-priced game with optional cosmetics on the game’s eventual in-game store. We won’t know until we try the beta later this year, or even when it’s out in 2023, but I gather the last thing Blizzard wants is more bad PR and community flak for its flagship action RPG title. Diablo Immortal’s already full of that.