Blizzard Slapped with Modest Fine for Diablo Immortal

Blizzard has received a fine for their mobile game, Diablo Immortal, but the penalty amount was relatively small compared to the company's profits. Following Hearthstone, Diablo Immortal is Blizzard's second major game designed for mobile devices. The game is a free-to-play MMORPG that features the same dark fantasy aesthetic and demonic foes as the other titles in the Diablo series. Diablo Immortal takes place after the battle against Baal, following the events of the Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction expansion and before the beginning of Diablo 3. Despite Baal's defeat, Archangel Tyrael was forced to destroy the corrupted Worldstone. Despite the controversy, Diablo Immortal's launch was met with positivity as players engaged in "dynamic events," explored dungeons, and battled a vast array of monsters.

The Enforcement Committee of PEGI has recently published its rulings on multiple cases, and Blizzard has been fined €5000 due to its failure to disclose the existence of loot boxes in Diablo Immortal during the game's rating licensing process. This violation goes against the PEGI Code of Conduct. However, it is not just Diablo Immortal's controversial microtransactions that have been in the spotlight. Plaion has also been fined €5000 for Hunt: Showdown Bounty Hunter - Limited Edition, for the same reason as Diablo Immortal. Blizzard and Plaion have been instructed to update all marketing materials to include information on the presence of loot boxes in both games, in addition to the penalty.

In its mobile debut, Diablo Immortal faced criticism for its aggressive monetization system. Players were spending exorbitant amounts of money just to obtain a single 5-star item, with one player maxing out a character for over $500,000. The game's microtransactions sparked controversy and drew comparisons to Star Wars Battlefront 2, a similarly criticized game. Although Diablo Immortal continues to receive new content, the microtransactions issue made it one of the most disappointing games of 2022. However, the experience has taught Blizzard what not to do with Diablo 4. The upcoming release will focus solely on cosmetic items, avoiding any controversial monetization practices.

Diablo Immortal is now available to play on Mobile and PC.

Source: Eurogamer