DIABLO Immortal is just days from launch – putting the legendary franchise on smartphones for the first time ever.
We spoke to the designers who created the game, getting an inside look at the blockbuster RPG.
What is Diablo Immortal?
Diablo Immortal is an upcoming free-to-play game in the iconic Diablo series.
It’s built primarily for iOS and Android, but it’ll be available on PC too.
Blizzard has also designed it to be massively-multiplayer, so you’ll encounter other players in the world and be able to team up with them.
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The game release date is set for June 2, 2022.
Diablo Immortal – an inside look
Diablo Immortal takes place “in the aftermath of Diablo 2”, senior game designer Scott Burgess tells HOAR.
“Now we have World Stone shards corrupted all over Sanctuary,” he explained.
“These are basically fragments of great power. So if any villain grabs a fragment, they can warp reality.”
A new Lord of Damnation is looking to get his hands on these shards “to enact his great master plan”.
The game has heavy multiplayer elements, including “clans and warbands”, which are a small family of eight friends.
“You use that to go on Helliquary raids, eight-person raids where you take on ancient evil that lurks in the Burning Hells,” Scott explained.
“We also have dungeons that are a great way to team up with buddies to go get some awesome loot.
“You’ll also run across players in the world.”
There’s full crossplay between mobile and PC, and a big city called Westmarch where players can congregate.
The team has put in significant work to make the game feel natural on mobile – but while still being true to Diablo.
Speaking to HOAR, lead artist Hunter Schultz said: “My first experience picking up the game was that it was instantly obvious that this is a perfect evolution.
“The game’s origins came from a place of using the mobile phone.
“How you place the spells lends itself perfectly for using that device.
“The first time I picked it up, I was like ‘this makes sense’.
“You have more control over placement that you wouldn’t be able to do with a mouse or controller.”
There are new areas to explore, but we’ll also be visiting iconic locations.
Importantly, even places you’ve seen before might seem different.
“The lore is so deep, there’s so much awesome lore content to pick from,” Hunter said.
“There are different aspects of zones we haven’t seen before.
“So even similar environments that may be familiar, we’re trying to show different sides of it – how they look at this time in the story.
“Like Westmarch, you’ve never seen it like this before – in all its glory and its huge importance as a hub and sanctuary.”
There are eight dungeons at launch, including the Pit of Anguish in the Realm of Damnation – in addition to the Helliquary raids.
New foes will be added each month, as well as new dungeons and zones roughly every three months.
And we can expect other gameplay modes to be added in the future too.
Some fans have feared a “pay to win” aspect, because there are items you can buy with real money in the game.
Not everyone will be convinced, but Blizzard is trying to soothe those fears.
“The game is completely free,” said Scott.
“There is no paywall. Whatever content you want to play, you can get there.
“During the beta I didn’t pay a dime.
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“I was keeping up with the world paragon level, I was in one of the top shadow houses, I was competitive in PvP.
“The monetisation should have great value, but overall the game is free to play.”
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