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A development update for Diablo Immortal reveals that the upcoming title has been delayed until 2022. The long-running Diablo series of action role-playing title, developed by Blizzard Entertainment, was first released back in 1997. Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play mobile installment in the franchise which was first announced back in 2018.
While the game's announcement in 2018 was negatively received by series fans, Diablo Immortal has since become a highly-anticipated title. The mobile title looks to accurately capture the action role-playing gameplay of its predecessors, and a closed alpha preview of Diablo Immortal in April 2021 seemingly confirmed this fact. The preview showed off gameplay that was extremely faithful to previous installments, although the mobile touchscreen controllers were regarded as a bit clunky. Like its PC predecessor, Immortal starts players out in a safe neutral zone and tasks them with venturing out into areas swarming with deadly demons. Different character classes offer wildly different gameplay, adding a huge amount of role-playing and replayability. Diablo Immortal is said to be highly optimized, so long-time fans of the series shouldn't notice much of a difference whether they're playing Diablo on a PC or a mobile device. Despite being announced back in 2018, Blizzard recently stated that the game was still scheduled for a 2021 release.
A developer update from Blizzard Entertainment reveals that Diablo Immortal has now been delayed until the first half of 2022. The update explains that Blizzard has been working to improve all aspects of Diablo Immortal based on player feedback, particularly feedback gathered from April's closed alpha preview. These ongoing improvements include better Player vs Player gameplay and expanded late-game Player vs Environment gameplay. Controller support and character progression are also ongoing areas of improvement which have motivated the delay into 2022.
Alongside Diablo Immortal, the beloved action role-playing franchise will also receive another new installment in the form of Diablo 4. The fourth main game in the series, announced in November 2019, will bring back a number of prominent series staples while also introducing new mechanics such as an open world and Player vs Player encounters. According to Blizzard, Diablo 4 will "advance the art of the action RPG" through revolutionary gameplay. Diablo 4 has no set release date, but the game will reportedly launch no earlier than late 2022.
Blizzard's Diablo franchise is beloved by action role-playing game fans, as the series combines an awesome art style with deep and satisfying gameplay. Diablo Immortal was highly ridiculed upon release, but the closed alpha preview has seemingly changed hearts and minds. While a delay is always disappointing to those that are anticipating the title, hopefully, more development time will allow Diablo Immortal to truly shine.
Diablo Immortal will release in 2022.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment