From the fan who point blank asked if the game was a joke to the 357K dislikes as of this writing the response to Diablo: Immortal (the new mobile version of Diablo) has been overwhelmingly negative. Now there is a lot of room for criticism undoubtedly but is all of this negative hype really warranted? I myself have many issues with mobile gaming most notably the pay-to-play mechanic that most mobile games incorporate these days. However, even I am taken aback at the hatred this game has so far received and it has forced me to ask myself a very painful question:
Is it okay for a game developer to make a game NOT intended for the current fanbase?
The bottom line, of course is yes. They can make any damn game they want and if we don't like it someone else will and this seems to be exactly the case with Diablo Immortal. Nit-picking aside (i.e. this was the final announcement but didn't seem to warrant that kind of timeslot) Blizzard decided they wanted to expand Diablo's reach to a whole new fan base. Diablo III is 5 years old and the controls and graphical requirements are minuscule by today's technology standards. The game as-is could easily run on most mobile devices, especially tablets. While the touch controls might be a little tricky to navigate the proliferation of bluetooth style game controllers and mouse peripherals for tablets can solve that problem easily. So in Blizzard's mind it totally makes sense to create a game that is obsolete for all intents and purposes for mobile devices. It can increase the longevity of the I.P. and even serve as a gateway to whatever Diablo title might be coming next.
Speaking of the next Diablo title I think that's where a lot of this vitriol is coming from. The fan base wants a new Diablo game and they want it right fucking now. The thing is, Blizzard is known for delaying titles in favor of creating higher a quality product. So if you honestly think Diablo Immortal is the only Diablo project they have been working on (let's not forget this was largely third party created) then you're the idiot, not Blizzard. The only reason we didn't get an announcement for Diablo 4 is because Blizzard isn't ready to make one yet. The game simply isn't far enough along in development to warrant the kind of announcements that they make at Blizzcon. Sure you could argue that Diablo Immortal doesn't warrant that kind of announcement either and I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you save for one point. Diablo Immortal is done and ready to play. Diablo 4 isn't even being played internally most likely. My guess is the biggest debates among the team is what direction to take the game in next that remains true to the I.P. Do they keep the tried and true but antiquated top-down control scheme? Do they change it to something else? If so, how radical a change would that be? Myself, I'd LOVE to see a Diablo game in 3rd person perspective but that's just me. If I'm going to be totally honest with you the Diablo franchise has not aged well. In a world of first person and third person fantasy games that have been hugely successful Blizzard would be wise to give a total revamp of Diablo's controls a serious consideration. However, if Diablo Immortal has taught us anything it's that the current fan base probably will wholesale reject any game that is third/first person with the Diablo name attached. They want Diablo III but better, not that they know what the fuck that even means.
So in the end we as gamers now have to face a very uncomfortable truth. We have become so engrossed in being a mainstream part of pop culture that we have become the very thing we once rebelled against. When I was growing up going to arcades was considered a child's activity. Grown-ups only went if we were "nerds who couldn't get laid." But grown-ups like me were sick of the celebrity worshiping culture that dominated the 80's and early 90's. Going to an arcade gave you an escape from the Entertainment Tonight style tv shows and gossip tabloids that we hated so much. Back then if you didn't know who the hottest celebrity on T.V. was you were laughed at. If you weren't wearing the latest fashion trends you were nobody and Heaven forbid if someone, somewhere did something the fanbase didn't approve of. From dating the wrong person to wearing the wrong designer labels to starring in or creating a crappy product fans of celebrities were absolutely RABID just as much as they are today. Grown-ups who were sick of that shit went to arcades to pass the time and shield ourselves from the ridiculousness of pop culture of the day. Fast forward to 2018 and here we are doing exactly what we once scoffed at.
What was that someone once said about history repeating itself?