Despite not being released in Belgium and Netherlands, and being delayed in China due to unforeseen circumstances, Diablo Immortal did quite well having earned nearly $50 million in its first month. The game even made it to the most downloaded mobile games list for June 2022, and it’s yet to meet the Chinese audience.
Finally, the wait is over for Chinese gamers, as NetEase —Diablo Immortal’s publisher in China— announced that the action/RPG will release in China on July 25. Activision Blizzard’s latest title in the Diablo series was set to release on June 23 in China, but it was delayed with no set-in-stone date, the reason being “technical issues and content enhancement” per NetEase’s official statement.
However, Bloomberg claimed that the Chinese government didn’t allow the game to be published back then, due to a social media post criticizing China’s president Xi Jinping. NetEase was already having a hard time on home soil as NPPA (the regulator for China’s game industry) denied the gaming and publishing giant video game licenses, alongside another giant Tencent.
Having said all that, everything seems to be in order now, considering how the company announced a release date and it’s as soon as next Monday, but according to Bloomberg, this date too may change.
Both Activision Blizzard and NetEase are eager to get Diablo Immortal released in China, as the game’s free-to-play model and its monetization methods are widely accepted by Chinese gamers. Our expert partner Zimad says even during turbulent times China’s economy stays stable and Chinese gamers are willing to spend money on games.
Diablo Immortal is heavily bashed by the game’s fans due to it being a pay-to-win game, but the game is generating revenue at a steady level and the companies behind the title are quite happy with the numbers so far.
