Blizzard surprises BlizzCon 2018 attendees with the announcement of Diablo Immortal, a mobile ARPG that takes place prior to Diablo 3 and offers 6 classes at launch.
A new Diablo game has been announced, developed by NetEase in partnership with Blizzard and it’s exclusive to mobile devices. Diablo Immortal is an MMO ARPG described as a game that can be played by anyone, anywhere they please. Diablo Immortal will recreate the franchise’s traditional multiplayer point and click action gameplay with optimizations for mobile touchscreen controls. It may not be the Diablo fans were expecting, but could potentially keep fans entertained until Diablo 4‘s eventual release.
Early details regarding Diablo Immortal confirm that the mobile game will feature six different classes at launch: Barbarian, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, Demon Hunter, and Necromancer. More classes post-launch are planned, with developers hinting at Diablo 2‘s Assassin and Diablo 3‘s Witch Doctor. Each class will have a unique selection of 12 or more different skills to choose from.
As for how Diablo Immortal fits into the greater Diablo universe, the mobile game will take place in the years between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. Players will work out of Westmarch, a social hub where players can meet and show off their armor. Through Westmarch, players will visit 9 different outdoor zones, hunting corrupted fragments of the Worldstone and the demons left in their wake.
The Diablo Immortal announcement was met with a mixed response that Blizzard likely expected. Blizzard has been teasing a Diablo-related reveal for BlizzCon ever since the convention was announced. Fans were so persuaded that Diablo 4 would be making an appearance that Blizzard went out of its way to inform fans that there would be no Diablo 4 at BlizzCon 2018.
Despite the early warning for Blizzard making clear that Diablo 4 would not be at BlizzCon, though all-but-confirming it was in development, fans were still surprised. Other rumors had swirled prior to the event regarding both a potential Diablo or Diablo 2 remaster. There were even rumors regarding Blizzard working on a Diablo tabletop-esque game for PC. The NetEase mobile exclusive Diablo Immortal that was announced instead was a surprise on all fronts, a Blizzard game targeting non-typical Diablo fans.
While no release window has yet been announced for Diablo Immortal, players can visit the game’s official website and pre-register to stay updated and potentially be invited to future beta tests.
Diablo Immortal is planned to release “when it’s done” exclusively on iOS and Android devices.
