The Diablo franchise is in a strange place. On the one hand, Diablo 4 is the lowest-rated game in Metacritic history according to ratings from the users, with many fans opposing its microtransactions and an aggressive approach to marketing. On the other hand there are many players who were impressed by the game's presentation at Diablo 4 Gold at the Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase this last weekend. They have been raving for the inclusion to the Necromancer class and the gameplay presented. Even so, there plenty of players who are worried over Diablo 4 after Diablo 4 and worry that the next main series game could be plagued by similar issues with monetization.
To clear the air, Diablo franchise General Manager Rod Fergusson took to Twitter. Fergusson, who presented the brand new Diablo 4 trailers at the Xbox Bethesda Games Showcase confirmed that the game will be to be a "full cost game" created with the core gamers in mind. Fergusson also stated that Blizzard plans to support Diablo 4 with new content "for the next few years" after the game's launch, while also providing some examples of what this post-launch content will be.
According to Fergusson, Diablo 4 will offer "optional cosmetic pieces," and that's the method by which the game is going to incorporate microtransactions. Furthermore, Diablo 4 will also sell "full story-driven expansions" which will be like previous games in the Diablo series. The first Diablo received The Hellfire expansion, while Diablo 2 received the Lord of Destruction expansion. Diablo 3 received two expansions following its launch: Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer.
It's not unusual to find Diablo expansions to introduce new classes It will be fascinating to see how Diablo 4 does so with its post-launch support. There's a chance that new character classes will be tied to expansions just as they've done in the past, however it's also possible they'll be included as free updates, similar to how Blizzard introduces new Overwatch heroes for free. More specific details about this will not come to light until we are closer to Diablo 4's release date, which is currently scheduled for sometime in the early quarter of 2023.
While Fergusson's tweet was meant to soothe the fears of Diablo fans who are worried about Diablo 4 following the aftermath after the Diablo 4 controversy however, there are some who remain doubtful. Many are concerned about the possibility that Diablo 4 will have pay to win components like Diablo 4 has, or it will attempt to nickel and dime players through predatory marketing. It's impossible to say for sure the answer, but from what's been released so far, it appears Diablo 4 Gold may avoid making the same mistakes as Diablo 4.
