Diablo IV will not be a “pay to win” like Diablo Immortal

The arrival of Diablo Immortal and the confirmation that it was a real “pay to win” (“pay to win, in English) sowed many doubts about the future of Diablo IV, the most important project that Blizzard has in hand right now and one of the most anticipated games of the moment. Those doubts turned into fear when the developer said that it planned to offer this game as a service and that it would monetize it through micropayments.

Does that mean that Diablo IV will be another “pay to win”? According to Blizzard notand has given enough details to reassure fans of the franchise, but the truth is that after seeing what happened with Diablo Immortal and how those responsible for said game actively and passively denied the obvious, which was a bunch of micropayments disguised as a video game, I can’t help but maintain a certain skepticism.

Diablo IV will keep running based on seasons that we have seen in Diablo III, which means that when a season ends we will have to create a new character to enjoy the advantages of the next season. The previous character will remain active on our account, and we will be able to play it out of season. In essence, the concept is the same as that used in Diablo 2 Resurrected as well, where we have ladder mode and non-ladder mode.

Free armor on the left, paid armor on the right.

And what will happen to micropayments? Season Passes will offer free content and “premium” levels. The latter will be paid, but all the content that can affect the gameplay and the ability of the characters, including experience boosters, will be limited to the free level, which means that they can only be obtained by playing and that there will be no imbalances in favor of those who can, and want, spend more money.

All Diablo IV micropayments they will be, supposedly, limited to aesthetic content. In this way, some of the most spectacular armor can only be purchased with real money, and the same could happen with weapon skins. This approach is very similar to that used by games like Path of Exile and Guild Wars 2, although the latter takes a more aggressive approach as it also offers experience boosters and other items that ultimately make our lives easier in exchange for money, although they do not produce imbalances in the game.

Diablo IV will launch sometime in 2023, and will be available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S-Series X, PS4, and PS5. The minimum requirements have not yet transpired, but at the time we offered you an estimate that we believe will remain without major changes, since in the end this game is still a title developed on the basis of the consoles of the previous generation, with all that that implies on a technical level.