Summary
Though the latest Blizzard title still has active players, footage of a liveDiablo 4event in Korea paints a bleak picture of the game’s popularity.Diablo 4broke numerous Blizzard records at launch, establishing itself as a huge commercial hit worthy of the franchise that helped define the hack-and-slash genre. However, once players had completed its campaign, and began toprogress through the endgame ofDiablo 4, frustrations began to boil underneath the surface.
Many quality-of-life features were missing fromDiablo 4, and class balance was in a dire state, with Sorcerers and Rogues representing two extremes. The itemization left a lot to be desired, and though it was exciting to watch players hunt down theUber Uniques ofDiablo 4, their astronomical level of rarity slowly became yet another point of contention for an increasingly aggrieved community. The tension came to a head with the release of Patch 1.1 and the launch ofDiablo 4’s Season of the Malignant. A majority of players felt the update was a big step in the wrong direction, and though its changes were eventually reverted, the damage had already taken its toll.
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Shared by ToiletCriminal on the /r/gaming subreddit were pictures taken from aDiablo 4live event in Korea, where the game initially had a very positive reception. The event had barely any attendees, and the accompanying livestream only had about 300 people tune in to watch.Diablo 4’s viewership on Twitch dropped overall by 99% compared to launch, and the release of exciting titles such asBaldur’s Gate 3andStarfieldcertainly didn’t help the game keep its numbers.
Even thoughDiablo 4announced its Season of Blood, slated to fix some of the game’s biggest shortcomings, the community’s interest has been lukewarm at best. According to disenchantedDiablo 4players, the seasonal mechanics don’t feel impactful enough to justify grinding out another character through the same Nightmare Dungeons, chasing the same pieces of loot, only to hop into an endgame that feels aimless and underdeveloped.
These factors have contributed to the feeling of apathy currently permeating amongDiablofans, and though Blizzard is taking commendable steps to address player feedback, it may take aDiablo 4expansionto bring meaningful interest back to the game. Thankfully there is a precedent for this, as its predecessor managed to redeem itself throughReaper of Souls, ultimately becoming a beloved part of theDiablofranchise.Diablo 4could follow in those footsteps, as the foundation for a fun hack-and-slash title is certainly there.
Diablo 4is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
