Diablo Immortal devs downplay ‘pay-to-win’ monetization fears

Alex Tsiaoussidis
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In response to fears that Diablo Immortal will have a ‘pay-to-win’ monetization model, some developers claimed they experimented by playing the beta without spending a dime and still thrived.

Diablo Immortal’s release is fast approaching.

While the game is free-to-play, there are concerns it will be littered with microtransactions — some of which might be pay-to-win.

However, in an interview with GameSpot, Senior Game Designer Scott Burgess downplayed those fears by claiming that he and handful of other developers thrived in the beta without investing any money at all.

diablo immortal barbarian holds up treasure on mound of bodies as monk demon hunter necromancer crusader and wizard look on
Diablo Immortal is the next title in line in the longstanding series.

“Going back, I played the beta without spending a dollar,” he said in a bid to extinguish the flames. “There were a few of us on the team that did that because we wanted to see what the experience was like.”

According to him, it didn’t hold them back in the slightest.

“I will say that I was in a top Dark House in the Shadows, I kept up with World Paragon, I was competitive in PvP, I would often get the MVP ranking.”

Burgess also explained that the team is doing things to make sure the game is fun for everyone. “Anytime we have a purchase, we want to make sure it’s a good value,” he added. “That’s kind of the goal we have on that side.”

diablo immortal The Old Growth
Diablo Immortal’s devs claim you can still thrive without buying items.

It’s not the only thing people have been concerned about. The decision to include lootboxes hasn’t been a hit among the community. It’s also seen Diablo Immortal get banned in Belgium and the Netherlands due to their laws.

Either way, people will finally be able to experience the game for themselves on Thursday, June 2, and see how they feel about it. It’ll have big shoes to fill given the success of its predecessors, but the devs believe it’ll be up to the task.

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About The Author

Alex is a former Dexerto writer based in Australia. He finished a law degree but realized it wasn't the career for him and decided to follow his dream of becoming a writer. Since then, he completed a graduate diploma and a master's degree in writing. Now he writes about his other passion; esports and gaming.