A Quick Word from Blizzard

I dare Blizzard to add predatory monetization into Diablo 4.

Do they throw away what’s left of their tattered reputation to make their shareholders happy

or

Do they have the balls to stand up against the greed and side with the gamers?

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yeah i some how expect them to step up to that dare, because money!

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Hey Neverlistens and devs (bosses) we dont forgot your “QUICK” word

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Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I’d gladly pay a D4 monthly sub if it meant no microtransactions, no pay to win, and a game more like D2 with frequent content updates

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I think they could have a Season Pass in addition to each season. Those that buy the pass can get more cosmetic rewards etc. Those that don’t get it can still play season of course just not unlock some of the new cosmetics. And then maybe $20-30 expansions over the year to get a bit more money from those that don’t buy the season pass.

I would also be fine with $5/month. That is only $60/year which would be the cost of 2 expansions or 1 major expansion anyways. Basically just like doing a layaway plan. But I feel like a subscription would cause a lot of people to not be able to play. So prefer the Season pass idea.

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Is almost a year without any reply. good job CM and superiors, you re amazing

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We’ll see if they actually “heard us” in a few days.

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I’ll be interested to see if Phoneman, the CEO, or the CM even attempt to explain why this thread went totally unanswered for a year. Bonus points if they try to explain how they thought that would help strengthen the relationship between the player base and their company.

My bet is that there will be no acknowledgement of this whatsoever.

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Or they could sell the cosmetic in the game shop. No games or gimmicks, no predatory loot boxes. Just make cosmetics and sell them.

They could go the extra step and show they actually care about their community and not just their wallets by making the cosmetics available for performing tasks in game. This way, if you want to do the work, you can get them. If you don’t want to work for them, you can just buy them. If you don’t care about cosmetics, you don’t have to do anything.

Or they could just make quality content on a regular basis and sell it to us. Other gaming companies do this. A monthly fee is no guarantee you will get quality content or get it on a regular basis. It is a bad idea to give a business money, then hope they give you what you want.

Giving them $5/month does not guarantee they will give you 1 major expansion worth of content a year. In fact, they definitely won’t. Let’s look at a game that has this model. WOW is currently $14.99 a month. Do WOW subscribers get 3 major xpacs worth of content free each year. Hell no. They get maintenance of the game, but no major content. They get a major xpac every other year and it isn’t free with the subscription, you pay for that separately.

The best way to do a potential D4, and actually build the customer base is:
released a finished, polilshed, complete game that the fans actually want.
on odd years, release a full xpac that adds to the game and makes things fresh.
on even years release character dlcs, new end game options, other things to
enhance the experience.
To balance out sales year, sell cosmetic crap released throughout the year to
even out sales.

Yes, this will be some work and require some dedication. It would also avoid the predatory cash grab loot boxes, but it would build a huge, loyal fan base that will stick with them for years and years, which is what businesses should be striving for anyways. Isn’t it?

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Bonus points if anybody anywhere at Blizzard ever tries to answer the question “Why did you think that announcing Diablo Immortal at Blizzcon was a great idea?” or “Why did you decide that getting the journalist media to paint your fans as entitled brats was a good idea?”

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For those tough awkward questions to be asked, we need Red Shirt Guy 3.0 to show up to the microphone.

But I’d imagine their screening process would be more stringent so they don’t repeat what happened last year.

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That’s what annoys me about gaming journalism, they are just an arm of EA and the other companies’ PR departments.

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Where is neverlistens?

I’ve done my part, haven’t spent a dime on Blizzard all year and won’t until THEY change. Garbage BFA expansion for WoW makes it easy to avoid that, and their other forges have been cold as ice for the whole year apparently. How is this company still in business?

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Activision owns Candy Crush and they make a billion dollars a year on that crap.

I haven’t spent a dime on Activision since the Necromancer pack.

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Happy birthday neverlistens!!

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“While we may not be able to answer all your burning questions, we are committed to sharing updates with the community and participating when we can.”

You said that last November and then we never heard from you again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

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Soooo The director of Diablo 4 looks like a David Brevik clone… does he want to steal his image?

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They quietly produced an update to this dumpster fire of a cash grab:

And there is this:

Q: Will there be microtransactions in Diablo Immortal? How will Diablo Immortal be priced?
A:
We’re focused on building a great Diablo game first. That said, we know the business model is top of mind for lots of people out there and we’re taking the time to get it right. It’s too early to share details, but we want to make a Diablo game players love and to support it for years to come. We plan to achieve that by creating an ecosystem that accounts for and welcomes every type of player—from our most die-hard Diablo veterans to those who’ll be exploring Sanctuary for the first time.

Too early? Really? They still haven’t figured out all the details even after 12 months since its reveal?

This might as well translate to:

“Yes, this game will attempt to bleed your wallet dry but we don’t want you to know all the bad details too soon otherwise it could affect the game’s bottom line which is what we really care about”.

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I’m tired of companies having no accountability for crap like this.

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Yawn Did I miss anything? Oh, it was BlizzCon? Oh, it had no relevant infos in it, well then, have a good night.
Funny that it’s now a full year of “Commited to engaging with the community” without a single meaningful blue post in here :joy:

So why should anyone believe, let alone be hyped about, anything Activision Blizzard mumbles at BlizzCon? Their actions tell a very different story than their words, and actions are what count.

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