The official Diablo Twitter account announced that Diablo 2: Resurrected, including its new ‘Vessel of Hatred’ expansion content, is now available through Xbox Game Pass. The subscription service received a substantial enhancement which enables players to access an important expansion pack for the traditional action role-playing game. The announcement faced immediate backlash from the community because of the $25 charge for the new Warlock character class which did not come with base Game Pass access.
Xbox Game Pass now allows players to experience Sanctuary because the game has been added to their service. Blizzard put out this kinda dramatic tweet, you know the vibe, “Will you answer?” with a slick video showing off the new Warlock class. Everything seemed to go perfectly until the next moment. D2R on Game Pass? The game is one of the best ever made which players can now access because it will bring new users into the Game Pass service right? You need to continue scrolling down the page. The replies section displays a completely different type of destructive experience which people use to respond to content.
The tweet created a direct link which brought users into the Chaos Sanctuary where gamers express their opinions. The first response of this account shows how people will react to it. “$25 for a character in a game you ignored since diablo 4 was out is madness, so I will pass this cash grab.” Oof. The feeling gets repeated throughout the entire text. User ‘chu787pr’ just says “No because I’m not paying 25 bucks for a character 🤣🤦 ridiculous.” User ‘KainlessG’ makes a simple statement when he says “$25 for a single character.” Players see the price point as the main problem because they criticize it without holding back.
People need to understand that money represents only one aspect of this situation. Some players have found issues which they consider to be serious problems with the update. The update breaks the entire game because it reaches game-breaking levels. User ‘YLE__coyote’ reported “The update broke my game, can’t boot it anymore” when he provided a screenshot showing an error. User ‘Seek4Wealth’ announced “the update game is broken for me! 😔. People created a small technical support discussion when ‘YLE__coyote’ assisted another user in solving their gameplay problem through instructions to erase their settings file. Players who pay an extra $25 charge for their subscription or existing game should receive better launch experience than what they currently experience.
The existing ownership issue creates yet another distressing factor for the situation. The Game Pass inclusion is awesome for newbies, but what about the loyal players who’ve been there since day one? The players need to pay $25 which provides them with access to one new class and multiple runewords. User ‘AlphaBlastX’ got into it with another commenter, arguing that “$30 a bit much, it should have been half the price at least.” Then someone else, ‘pmitch44’, jumps in with “Brand new stuff but you want it free…. Get fuck outta here welfare.” The comments section displays a complete conflict between two opposing groups which create multiple arguments about value and ownership rights. The situation is complicated.
The situation contains both positive aspects and negative effects which destroy stash tabs. Some players are genuinely hyped. ‘RedcodeDream’ wrote: “Never thought I would EVER see an expansion to my favorite game of all time 25 years after the fact. Thank you so much @Diablo”. The person who reacted to this situation showed real emotions about it. Another, ‘nerdylibertyfan’, is already diving in: “Just started a new character! The Warlock character combines elements from several different classes while introducing innovative features. So there are people answering the call. The ‘Legends of Elumia’ account even chimed in with “We shall answer! Can’t believe it’s included in the pass!” which, okay, that’s probably a bot or a promo account but the sentiment is there!
The text contains various requests which need to be answered. Someone wants offline character syncing between platforms (a dream, honestly). Another is begging for a Nintendo Switch 2 version. Someone else is asking where to find the new runeword recipes. ‘RoselioBianchi’ requested in Portuguese to bring Diablo 1 and 3 to Steam which I needed to translate but global demand exists for it. The desire for someone to use a promotional tweet to show their entire ecosystem of frustration and desire exists.
What conclusions can people reach from this situation? People now understand how the current gaming industry operates through its display of this situation. The legendary title Diablo 2: Resurrected which players can access through a major subscription service creates a great opportunity for players because it reduces entry costs. The event should become a celebration. The release of expensive DLC with multiple technical problems creates immediate conflicts.
