Diablo IV has set some serious milestones over at Activision Blizzard with the launch being the most successful of Blizzard's history. Here are some stats from the press release:
- Blizzard sold over $666 Million worth globally in the first five days following the launch.
- Players have played Diablo IV for over 276 Million Hours already.
- Players have died over 316 Million times in Diablo IV.
- The Butcher is responsible for over 5 Million player deaths.
- 163 players have made it to level 100 in Hardcore. (This has since been passed)
- 276 Billion demons have been slain.
The real question is going to be whether or not the game has any staying power. With players waiting for the first season to make its debut, which will include more story content and features, the current somewhat barren states of the game means numbers could drop quickly. Path of Exile from Grinding Gear Games is also on its way to its second instalment, Path of Exile 2, which is almost certainly Diablo IV's largest competitor. The new game is currently being teased during Summer Game Fest and is due to make big announcements on July 28 during Exilecon.
That's not to say that the launch of Diablo IV hasn't been a major gaming milestone, but we'll need to wait and see how the game progresses to know if its live service model is going to be successful for the franchise.
Read on for the full press release from Activision Blizzard.
Quote From Activision Blizzard Within five days of launching, Diablo IV sell-through is the box-office equivalent of the biggest opening week of the year
Players have already clocked more than 276 million hours in Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest-selling game ever
The record-setting launch is just the beginning of a compelling live service game, with seasons beginning next month and expansions planned for years to come
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 12, 2023– Diablo IV had the best-selling opening in Blizzard’s history, crossing an auspicious $666 million in global sell-through in the first five days following its June 6 launch*. The latest installment for the Diablo series, and Blizzard’s fastest-selling game ever*, is the box-office equivalent of the biggest opening week of the year**.
The heroes of Sanctuary, the world in which Diablo is set, have already played more than 276 million hours, or more than 30,000 years.
“On behalf of Blizzard, we want to thank the millions of players around the world who are immersing themselves in Diablo IV,” said Mike Ybarra, President of Blizzard Entertainment. “Diablo IV is a result of our incredible teams working together to craft and support genre-defining games, build legendary worlds, and inspire memories that will last a lifetime. We’re humbled by the response, proud of the team, and remain committed to listening to our players and ensuring Diablo continues to exceed expectations for years to come.”
So what are players doing with all this time spent in Diablo IV?
- 276 billion demons killed since Early Access: nearly 35 times the global population.
- Players have been vanquished over 316 million times
- …over 5 million of those vanquishings were at the hands of the Butcher.
- But they’re not falling alone - players have created a party with friends over 166 million times.
- 163 players have made it to the maximum level in Hardcore mode, where deaths are permanent.
When players haven’t been playing Diablo, they’ve been watching it – Diablo IV was the #1 game on Twitch from Early Access on June 1 through June 9, breaking Blizzard records for both hours streamed and watched over a similar period.
Blessed Mother Lilith is pleased with your devotion, mortals.
Diablo IV is available now, featuring cross-platform play and cross-progression on Windows® PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, plus up to four player co-op, including two player couch co-op on consoles.
Comments
Havent played the game, so dont know anything about it. Can anyone describe what the live service and microtransactions that are currently in diablo 4? Hearthstone is already egregious enough for my taste, can't afford another live service game, would rather know what Im getting myself into when I eventually get diablo 4 myself.
I'm loving the game: cleared the campaign, so now I'm tiding up 100% completion on my original character before I consider making new ones. Some things carry over between characters - the Altars of Lilith give stat bonuses, for example. Beyond that it's Diablo, only more open world and slightly MMO-y in-that you can occasionally find other people wandering around doing stuff. You can dive in and kill the same enemies, then part ways with nary a conversation.
People whine about the expensive microtransactions, but (so far) they are only cosmetic in nature. Skins for your weapons, armor, horses, etc.
Season Passes will be a thing, and we know there will be character boosts on the Pass, but none of them will be on the paid parts of the track - they will all be on the free side. Thus, it can only be "Pay 2 Win" if there exists a way to scoot ahead in the Pass tiers. Unfortunately(?), the Ultimate version of the game does just that for Season 1, so I expect this might continue down the line.
Don't know how much you know about ARPGs or Diablo in general, but "Seasons" are when you start over from scratch and roll new characters with some kind of additional tweak to gameplay, available items, bonus powers, etc. for the duration of that Season. You can still play your original characters on the "Eternal" servers, but for some the game truly begins when the Seasons do. Season 1 will start in July.
All of this is optional...other than the $70 upfront, of course. You can buy the game then go about your business without an additional penny spent: take the free parts of the Season Passes as they come, maybe buy the expansions when they drop.
It's also worth noting that the boosts you get from the battlepass are bound to character levels. So you can unlock the boosts instantly with money, but you won't be able to use it until you grinded with a character to a certain level. Hopefully f2p who reach that level already unlocked the boost aswell by then.
I know diablo 2 has a similar system called ladder back then. Never really do online play myself, I usually play my ARPGs alone.
Nice to know that diablo 4 isn't another souless corporate game where they expect you to keep paying every month. A calm before the storm? Seems like even with that big an opening its never truly going to make money the same way games like hearthstone does, despite needing tons more work to produce it.
I only amount to two of those deaths: once against The Butcher at level 28, and from some exploding corpses yesterday at level 58.
Clearly not playing as fast as some people - there are players with multiple 50+ characters already, and I've got just the one that ain't even close to 100 D: "Go at your own speed", indeed. Currently wandering around trying to 100% the Altars and renown bonuses.