The video game Diablo has proved that some franchises — even if it’s 25 years old — wouldn’t die. Diablo IV, the latest in the series, has broken internal records for its publisher Blizzard and has crossed more than $666 million in sales since its debut on June 6.
Available for PC and consoles, the publisher has said that players have already spent more than 276 million hours in-game, but only 163 players have made it to the maximum level in Diablo IV’s hardcore perma-death mode.
The game puts emphasis on real-time action and dazzlingly-designed dungeons set in a world that connects with past titles in the franchise but, at the same, there is something fragmented about it. The storyline is not that simple — demon queen Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, has been unleashed on the world of Sanctuary. A fight with the angel Inarius is inevitable.
Blizzard had taken help of pop stars like Halsey, SUGA and Billie Eilish to promote songs and make the game title do the rounds of social media.
The game is very important for the publisher and comes at a crucial time. Activision Blizzard was formed in 2008 after Activision and Blizzard merged. The Federal Trade Commission has moved to stop the company’s proposed acquisition (for the time being) by Microsoft. Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard has also faced employee unrest around claims of a “frat boy” culture that resulted in discrimination against women at the company.
The game received an unexpected promotion a few days ago. There is a billboard of Diablo IV in Manhattan with the words ‘Welcome to hell, New York’. Seen in connection with the Canadian wildfires that lent the NY skyline an orange hue, the billboard took on a new meaning.