DespiteDiablo 4being one of the biggest launches of 2023, the game’s first season is off to a rocky start due to a series of changes implemented in the Season 1 update that has caused quite a controversy among theDiablocommunity. Although the game’s live-service model with features like a Battle Pass and premium currency shop made many players hesitant to dive into the game at launch, the balanced gameplay and well-crafted story helped dispel some of those concerns. However, the changes toDiablo 4in the latest update have diminished a lot of that initial goodwill, putting the game in a concerning spot for its first season.
Alive-service game likeDiablo 4lives or dies by its seasonal content as players need a reason to stay engaged with the game for months or even years after launch. The recent failures of other live-service titles likeMarvel’s AvengersandBabylon’s Fallshow just how thin a tightrope games like this have to walk in order to be successful. WithDiablo 4stumbling when it needed to put its best foot forward and set a strong tone with this first season, the game may not have the staying power Blizzard and fans alike would have hoped for unless the developers can quickly correct course.
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Diablo 4’s Controversial Season 1 Update Calls the Game’s Longevity into Question
Prior to the start ofDiablo 4’s Season of the Malignant, there were a variety of tweaks players felt were necessary to improve the game, such as giving the Sorcerer class a much-needed buff in the defense department. Aside from this buff, many players also anticipated certainDiablo 4meta builds like Bone Spear Necromancer and Whirlwind Barbarian would see nerfs for the sake of better class balance. In reality, the changes that came with the Season 1 update were not what players were expecting and ultimately left many disappointed and disinterested in playing the new season.
The main source of frustration with thelatestDiablo 4updateis the blanket nerf all classes received as well as a buff to enemies that made the game more tedious to play. Additionally, this update seemed to arbitrarily change features that didn’t need to be reworked, such as a nerf to skill cooldown affixes and an increase of 3–5 seconds for the Leave Dungeon ability. As a result, many players feel like the game has become more tedious and time-consuming to play, and thus makes creating a new seasonalDiablo 4character much less appealing.
These changes seem bizarre for a game looking to revamp itself ahead of its first major content update, but the reason behind it may be more concerning than players think. It seems like this update was largely in response to manyDiablo 4players reaching max levelin-game too quickly and then putting the game down until the new season started. Most of these changes seem like ways to artificially bump up the amount of time a player will spend in-game in an attempt to boost overall hours played and increase the likelihood of cosmetic sales, a practice that has historically drawn the ire of the gaming community.
Diablo 4still has time to respond to player feedback and salvage the game’s debut season, and theCampfire Chat hosted by theDiablo 4devswill be the perfect opportunity for fans to see their concerns addressed. It is a bit baffling to see such a predominantly negative response to a major content update like this, and it seems like it could have been easily avoided with the addition of something like a fifth World Tier that both increases the amount of time a player would need to spend in-game and offers a greater challenge for those who want it.Diablo 4is now in a make-or-break situation that could dictate the game’s future lifespan depending on Blizzard’s response to this criticism.
Diablo 4is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
