Blizzard's Free-to-Play 'Diablo Immortal' Game Launching on iOS on June 2

[kc9hzn]

It’s for iOS because iOS/mobile was always first, then ported to the PC. Because the PC market is so huge.

Well, to be fair, the complaints about the lack of Mac support (at least on Apple Silicon Macs, if nothing else) are certainly valid. Blizzard used to be one of the most Mac friendly development houses, and there’s a sense of betrayal there. And what’s more, there’s not really a good reason why, as basic Mac support (at least for the new Apple Silicon Macs) is literally as easy as checking a checkbox or two in Xcode (or maybe it’s in iTunes Connect), since Apple Silicon Macs can (perhaps somewhat inadequately, since iOS apps are typically designed for touch input) support iOS apps, so long as they’re enabled for distribution to Macs.

And if this game supports controller input on iOS, then there really isn’t an excuse.

Edit: And, of course, there’s a certain sense that the Microsoft acquisition has something to do with it. Mac gamers likely do feel slighted, and Microsoft likely did buy Activision-Blizzard to shore up exclusives for their GamePass feature. So there’s genuine fear that Blizzard will no longer support the Mac in new development, at a time when Macs are outperforming pretty much all but the top spec PCs.

 

[ZacksWorld]

Have you ever seen any Blizzard games 3rd party advertisement? I haven't, so they don't sell your data.

I hate to break it to you but I bought your specific personal data from Blizzard two years ago

 

[Reason077]

There it is. Free to play, but pay to win.

I've played Hearthstone for many years - since the beta! In that case, I think Blizzard struck a pretty good balance. You can pay money as a shortcut to get things faster, or to get certain cosmetic upgrades. But provided you have time to spend playing it, there is nothing that stops you from winning just by being a skilled player. Paying is certainly not mandatory to reach the top tiers.

Let's hope this new Diablo is similar.

 

[Orionfox]

Well, to be fair, the complaints about the lack of Mac support (at least on Apple Silicon Macs, if nothing else) are certainly valid.

Honestly this is something that is determining whether I stay Mac for my desktop or not. I am a light user with the exception of gaming and I only game certain types of games (maybe 4-5). Right now FFXIV isn't good on M1 and if it drops from the Mac, I can't really use a new Mac desktop. I prefer OS X and love the integration with the rest of my stuff but if it can't do real computer games, the M1 is a no go for me.

I was in the same boat when I decided to upgrade my phone. I HATE Android and the bloatware they all have but if one is free and the other option is anywhere from $400 to $1500 Free or low cost wins out. Luckily I was able to find 2020 SEs at Walmart for an outright purchase @$199 each. Otherwise, it would have been easy to drop my Mac desktop and my now useless Watch and never replace my iPad and AppleTV.

Not trying to be dramatic, but for people like me in the ecosystem losing any piece can push you out.

 

[macos9rules]

Only when the developer allows it. Many top-tier iOS titles specifically have Mac compatibility turned off, unfortunately.

True. I always wondered why that is.

 

[Eorlas]

Whiney and entitled to always get what they want. If they had nothing more to show from Diablo but Immortal at that event, it’s not their fault. At least "the fans" learned their lesson: curb your expectations, the world isn’t about you. Real people work on making games, it’s business and it’s presented when ready, released when it’s done. Blizzcon was never about one game anyway, it’s about the fandom, the community. Gamer rage is pure cringe, so is your last sentence.

this is absurdly dumb, and quite apologetic. this isn't an indie dev or small team working as they can. blizzard is a multi-billion dollar company that has been making games for decades. they have metrics, they have deadlines, they have millions of players.

we're talking about *communication*, not demands. reading the room is critical to any organization trying to keep their base happy, on the basis of, you know, money.

your commentary operates somehow on the pretext that this is a free handout. blizz expects $60 or $70 when all is said and done, they *know* precisely what people are waiting for. quite literally addressing it with the two (2) sentences i suggested, is certainly better than "here is a mobile game none of you asked for, something everyone immediately understands is a cash grab, after we initially ruined our last title with a cash grab (real money auction house that was later removed, but not before raking in loads of cash)" and when people unsurprisingly reacted the way they did "hahah screw you what's the problem?"

when people are loyal to your product, and anticipate your product, you *do not* treat them that way, and certainly *do not* defend treating them that way.

you do not at all work in any sort of position involving customer service or direct-to-client services, and it really, really shows.

this isn't that hard or complicated, but you're certainly not only making it out to be, but then acting like a company has *no* obligation to be aware of how to keep its customers happy.

 

[Orionfox]

when people are loyal to your product, and anticipate your product, you *do not* treat them that way, and certainly *do not* defend treating them that way.

Well to be fair, you are speaking to an Apple fan audience

/sarcasm off

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I'd rather pay once and get to enjoy the entire game without DLC.

I don’t think there’s very many big name games released today without DLC.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Well, to be fair, the complaints about the lack of Mac support (at least on Apple Silicon Macs, if nothing else) are certainly valid.

OH I don’t mean to say it’s not valid. There was a time in the past where the delta between PC game profits and Mac game profits wasn’t so enormous OR there were teams that were invested to making sure that a Mac port happened internally (not shopped to a third party). I actually remember reading something where you could use voice commands on the Mac to control your units as that was an OS feature. As those team members went on to do other things and the folks that replaced them had no such connection to the Mac, the financial realities likely set in pretty quick.

And, Microsoft may feel that GamePass is “good enough” for anyone not on one of the supported platforms. If that’s the case, then a huge section of potential Mac gaming might be forever on the other side of a streaming server.

 

[LinkRS]

Edit: And, of course, there’s a certain sense that the Microsoft acquisition has something to do with it. Mac gamers likely do feel slighted, and Microsoft likely did buy Activision-Blizzard to shore up exclusives for their GamePass feature. So there’s genuine fear that Blizzard will no longer support the Mac in new development, at a time when Macs are outperforming pretty much all but the top spec PCs.

Well, the Mac deprecation started before the Microsoft acquisition. So, you can't blame Microsoft for that. Diablo 2R was announced last summer, and had no Mac support. Blizzard has not even added Metal support to Diablo 3, and I would now be surprised if they ever do it. What's even funnier is that Diablo 3 runs better on my 16" M1 Max system, than it did on my 16" i9 with 5500M 8 GB GPU, primarily because Rosetta translates OpenGL calls to Metal on the fly. Several graphical glitches (due to poorly optimized and buggy OpenGL drivers for macOS) are now solved, but only on M1 systems. Blizzard has not shown any Mac support outside of WOW for years.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Honestly this is something that is determining whether I stay Mac for my desktop or not. I am a light user with the exception of gaming and I only game certain types of games (maybe 4-5). Right now FFXIV isn't good on M1 and if it drops from the Mac, I can't really use a new Mac desktop. I prefer OS X and love the integration with the rest of my stuff but if it can't do real computer games, the M1 is a no go for me.

I was in the same boat when I decided to upgrade my phone. I HATE Android and the bloatware they all have but if one is free and the other option is anywhere from $400 to $1500 Free or low cost wins out. Luckily I was able to find 2020 SEs at Walmart for an outright purchase @$199 each. Otherwise, it would have been easy to drop my Mac desktop and my now useless Watch and never replace my iPad and AppleTV.

Not trying to be dramatic, but for people like me in the ecosystem losing any piece can push you out.

I don’t it’s dramatic, it’s realistic. While there are a lot of people that use a system where they’re opposed to the features/restrictions of that system (lots of them here ), it’s always better to be in a position where you’re either OK or enjoy the features based on your areas of interest. This IS something that will sitting in front of you and that you’ll be actively interacting with for probably quite awhile.

 

[nvmls]

Diablo 3 one of greatest games of all time.

Hardly.

• Broken itemization since day 1
• Cookie cutter builds
• Gear dependent DPS
• Constants fun nerfs under the illusion of "balance"
• Atmosphere / story is lacking big time
• Cooldowns really?
• Grifts really?

You can barely find a decent public game.

D4 is DOA, i'm not writing it off, I've been paying attention.

 

[iamasmith]

Blizz has pretty much abandoned the Mac now.

I seriously hope not, played my first 2 years of WoW at launch on a PC and then switched to Mac and have loved it ever since.
Signed up for the alpha of Dragonflight and I really hope they don't drop Mac support. I really don't want to lug an inferior laptop around as well as my M1 MBP when we go away

 

[star-affinity]

Only when the developer allows it. Many top-tier iOS titles specifically have Mac compatibility turned off, unfortunately.

And it is also many times lackluster. The game needs to be adjusted for the desktop OS in my opinion – I don't want to feel like I'm playing a mobile game on my computer. Not to mention that the aspect ratio of a game made for iOS/iPadOS won't fill the display area of a Mac.

 

[Realityck]

I seriously hope not, played my first 2 years of WoW at launch on a PC and then switched to Mac and have loved it ever since.
Signed up for the alpha of Dragonflight and I really hope they don't drop Mac support. I really don't want to lug an inferior laptop around as well as my M1 MBP when we go away

IMHO I think we are in the dark to the eventual ramifications of when the FTC accepts MS purchase of Activision/Blizzard. (estimated 2023) Even though Diablo Immortal is a novelty for iOS/iPadOS community it might signifify the potential to make more revenue looking at Apple user community. MS is going the ARM route also. So when you think in the terms of 2023 and later when say Diablo 4/other games is coming out, it might be a lot more then just the old intel versus xbox/Sony play station marketplace.

Will there be ARM-based PCs? In their November 2021 Executive Summit, the company announced that they plan to make ARM-based chips for Windows. According to Eric Fisher, MediaTek VP for Corporate Sales and Business Development, "Apple has shown the world that it can be done.

 

[brainydiddy]

How come nobody support mobile apps on Apple Silicon Mac since 2022? Most of them are not even supported which defeats the purpose of using mobile app on Mac. The mobile support is terrible and poor. Since Apple is dominating the mobile gaming market, it would be nice to support mobile apps on Mac automatically. But now, even Mac Catalyst isn't widely useful and there are any apps to use on Mac.

Since Diablo Immortal sync with PC but not Mac, it just an example that Apple dont really care about Mac and even mobile developers dont wish to support Mac as well. They really change the policy or add some features to allow some kind of side loading without any optimizations.

At this point, it sucks.

it's up to developers to decide, not Apple. of course, Apple tries to push developers but the business case does not exist. You should know that Mobile gaming and PC gaming are not the same thing whatsoever, so Apple's dominance in iOS has little influence on developers decision to launch on Mac. also, these are entirely separate apps. if you create an iOS app, it's not a simple port, you have to create another app that has another release configuration and many other things that require separate maintenance. at the end of the day, it's more of a business decision more than technology one.

 

[sunny5]

it's up to developers to decide, not Apple. of course, Apple tries to push developers but the business case does not exist. You should know that Mobile gaming and PC gaming are not the same thing whatsoever, so Apple's dominance in iOS has little influence on developers decision to launch on Mac. also, these are entirely separate apps. if you create an iOS app, it's not a simple port, you have to create another app that has another release configuration and many other things that require separate maintenance. at the end of the day, it's more of a business decision more than technology one.

I'm aware of that but it's also Apple's responsibility to allow developers to bring more mobile apps to Mac and yet it didnt since 2020. They even made Mac Catalyst way before 2020 but rarely used. It would be nice if Apple unify the system allowing mobile apps easily and automatically works on iPad and Mac without porting or do extra works.

 

[senttoschool]

Let’s see Diablo 4 before we write it off. Diablo 3 one of greatest games of all time.

Diablo 2 was one of the greatest games of all time. Diablo 3 was complete trash. It was not fun. The story was bad. The grind was bad. The real-money auction house was bad. The character improvement was bad. The graphics were not Diablo-based but Warcraft-based. Deckard Cain got killed by a butterfly.

 

[Veeper]

Deckard Cain got killed by a butterfly.

Edgy. I can’t wait for the next decade of games that have politically correct characters and garbage stories.

*prays for meteor

 

[tubular]

Diablo 2 was one of the greatest games of all time. Diablo 3 was complete trash. It was not fun. The story was bad. The grind was bad. The real-money auction house was bad. The character improvement was bad. The graphics were not Diablo-based but Warcraft-based. Deckard Cain got killed by a butterfly.

The game started out with some problems -- the auction house being the most obvious one -- but by the time Reaper of Souls came out, they'd scrubbed it up a lot, I think. The story was unnecessarily negative in a "let's kill everyone you like off needlessly" kind of way, though. On the other hand, if you dug in you got story arcs for the thief, the templar, and the jeweler.

It's kind of a tradition -- in D2 you kill a zombified Griswold in the ashes of the setting of D1, and very early in D3 you stumble over the body of Warriv, the guy who sailed you to Act II in D2. It's kind of a tradition, but also kind of a cheap stunt. I wasn't impressed by the ostentatiously doomy darkness. (Maybe because of the time I spent in "Torchlight II," which was created by the D2 leads, and put the same game dynamic into a witty medieval/steampunk setting with a little bit of Lovecraft leaking in from the nether world.)

Yes, it'd be nice to see Blizzard back in the Mac world. But by deprecating OpenGL and failing to embrace Vulkan, and giving the boot to external GPUs going forward, and freezing out NVidia, I think Mac has taken itself out of the cross-platform gaming world for everything but the biggest freemium beasts.

 

[Realityck]

Diablo 2 was one of the greatest games of all time. Diablo 3 was complete trash. It was not fun. The story was bad. The grind was bad. The real-money auction house was bad. The character improvement was bad. The graphics were not Diablo-based but Warcraft-based. Deckard Cain got killed by a butterfly.

Sorry don't agree with that thought. While Diablo 2 redo is very attractive, it has limited replay-ability because of the final goal. You can run though each character role multiple times, but the way the game closes will eventually get to you. Diablo 3 is perhaps sustained optimization of finding gear and perfecting your play style with many build variations, but its hardly inferior to the maps/quests campaign limitations of D2, which I played a few years. I dare say D2 is more lazy then D3. D3 you have a lot more grind to get to whatever level of play style you want to be at. It works very well in meta.

 

[nvmls]

Sorry don't agree with that thought. While Diablo 2 redo is very attractive, it has limited replay-ability because of the final goal. You can run though each character role multiple times, but the way the game closes will eventually get to you. Diablo 3 is perhaps sustained optimization of finding gear and perfecting your play style with many build variations, but its hardly inferior to the maps/quests campaign limitations of D2, which I played a few years. I dare say D2 is more lazy then D3. D3 you have a lot more grind to get to whatever level of play style you want to be at. It works very well in meta.

Really? 99.99% itemization is a complete troll and you find a lot more to grind for lol.

Good one.

 

[ondert]

lol... after all that chaos it's coming to PC also! it will be a good game for me while sitting in the toilet

 

[Mousse]

it will be a good game for me while sitting in the toilet

So it will by your Game of Thrones.? When I play games on the porcelain throne, I keep the door lock so my dimunitive son can't interrupt.?