BlizzCon was a huge event for so many reasons, but coming out of it, everyone was raving about Diablo 4. Blizzard Entertainment is — in fact — hard at work on this isometric hack-and-slash RPG. We’ve seen bits of gameplay here and there, which showcased a couple of different classes. For the most part, they’re very unique in terms of their abilities and skills.
Like any major AAA game, though, there is the worry of microtransactions. They have appeared more and more as of late as a way for developers to keep the money coming in, well after their games release. Speaking on the matter for Diablo 4 was lead designer Joe Shely. He was asked about the prescience of misconstructions and according to his answers, they will in fact be available.
However, they will be in the form of cosmetics. So if you want to change the way one of your characters looks in the game, you can pay a little more for additional options. There have always been gamers who are completely comfortable dropping some cash down for a little more variety in the visuals department.
You can’t really blame Blizzard for incorporating this type of design. It’s not like they’re making users pay for upgraded stats and weapons. According to Shely, these pay to win mechanics will be absent. Of course, Blizzard has the right to change plans at any time if they want — but it seems like they’re being upfront with its fanbase.
Judging by gameplay trailers, Diablo 4 looks like to be one of the best installments yet. The themes and visuals are a bit darker than normal, but that hasn’t turned away a lot of fans. In fact, they’re welcoming these shifts in direction and are expecting one of the more in-depth Diablo titles to date.
It’s great to know that players won’t have to shell out a fortune to make their character better. Instead, they can just grind through the game and get everything they want. This has been a recipe that has been lacking in a lot of games, especially online multiplayers that are free to play.
As long as Blizzard is completely clairvoyant with these microtransactoins — showing players exactly what they’re getting in advance — then there’s no reason to scold them for their tactics. They’re just giving players the chance to customize their character exactly how they see fit. Hopefully, Blizzard sticks to their word and doesn’t try to slip in performance microtransactions after launch.
