If you thought Diablo 4 would be a nail in the coffin for its mobile-focused counterpart Diablo Immortal, think again. In an interview with RPS, Diablo 4 executive producer Rod Fergusson explains that the popularity of Diablo Immortal has only increased since the release of DIablo 4.
“One of the things that we were kind of nervous about initially was that when Diablo 4 landed it would sort of cannibalise Immortal, and that everyone was just going to be, ‘Oh we’re just playing Immortal until Diablo 4 comes out’,” Fergusson told RPS at Gamescom. “In fact, it was the opposite. With each beta we did for Diablo 4, the more people started playing Immortal. Then once D4 launched, the same thing. Immortal continues to be successful, so we found that because that idea of playing on my couch in my living room or at my desk vs I’m playing on my phone in the car or while I’m waiting for my coffee or whatever, there was a place for both games to co-exist and they co-exist well.””
The first part of this isn’t much of a surprise. It makes sense that players hyped for D4 would be looking to play a similar title as the release approached. But what is shocking is that even after its launch, the popularity of Immortal has continued to increase.
Are players happy with Immortal or unhappy with Diablo 4?
Personally, Immortal was way too gimmicky and cash-grabby for me. That being said, it’s hard to argue that gameplay-wise it felt better than I had expected for a mobile title.
Immortal also recently released the first new class in the Diablo franchise in over a decade. I have to admit, the class looks fun and unique, so part of the uptick in players for Immortal is people trying the new class.
In all fairness though, this may be more attributed to players current unhappiness with the state of Diablo 4. Hopefully, we continue seeing improvements with D4 with Season 2, Season of Blood, which starts on October 17.
