Some comments on #Diablo Immortal and the #diabloimmortal backlash, the backlash to the backlash and now the backlash to the backlash to the backlash. In a thread.
First, if you're not up to speed, Blizzard announced a new Diablo game at Blizzcon last week. It's called Diablo Immortal and it's coming exclusively to mobile phones. cnet.com/news/diablo-im…
Many fans, expecting Diablo 4 to be announced, reacted viscerally -- one even asked the developers if it was a joke. It's not. It's real. That backlash made waves online, resulting in an unfolding narrative in which two contrasting sides are both right.
Mashable's Adam Rosenberg (@geminibros), representing the backlash to the backlash, makes good points that the reaction to Blizzard not announcing the what gamers WANTED is very much an over-reaction. Fans don't need to feel insulted that it's not D4. mashable.com/article/diablo…
On the other hand @EscapistMag's @russpitts clearly shows that Blizzard did a terrible job choosing when, where and how to announce Diablo Immortal. Like a comedian who can't read the room, Blizzard didn't consider its audience. Some heckling is justified. escapistmagazine.com/v2/2018/11/05/…
Please, read both of them. I think they both make great points, and show two interesting, legitimate takes on the same situation.
For instance, @Russpitts is right: Blizzard absolutely should have known what their audience expected and adjusted their programming to fit the event. After all -- even Bethesda knew to show a teaser for Elder Scrolls VI when they revealed Blades.
On the other hand, @geminibros also has a point: Maybe asking a developer, to their face, if the project they've been working on for years "is a joke" is kind of a dick move. That developer probably didn't make the call to not show fans a Diablo 4 logo.
The two articles even agree on a most salient point: regardless of how the reveal was mishandled, Diablo Immortal is extremely interesting, and probably a great business move for Blizzard.
I think they're both interesting pieces, and I like them both -- and although they each make a strong argument for which backlash we should be angry about, I think they're both right and they're both wrong.
My view: Blizzard messed up, but some fans reacted too harshly. Some fans overreacted, but by calling those fans entitled, some media outlets whitewashed Blizzard's error. Some media angles were careless, but that doesn't invalidate all their points.
I don't agree with everything in either article, but I think anybody interested in the situation should read them both, back to back.
A final disclaimer: I have no skin in Diablo. By which I mean, I'm not passionate for it. I played a bit of Diablo II, but I was never a big fan -- so I was neither excited or let down by the news. I just think we should take this situation a bit more lightly and all be friends.
