During its latest earnings report, publisher Activision Blizzard disclosed that free-to-play mobile title Diablo Immortal will launch sometime this year. Blizzard Entertainment notoriously unveiled Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2018, teasing a mobile-only experience when the vast majority of its player base had been spent years longing for an official Diablo IV reveal.
For the most part, Blizzard Entertainment has kept quiet about the franchise's mobile entry, only sharing details when absolutely pertinent. Whether or not this was purposeful due to the backlash that plagued the reveal remains a mystery. But the development crew did host a closed technical alpha late in 2020, inviting a select number of players to take part in an early version of the adventure. Now it seems the project is further along than some have come to think.
Today, Activision Blizzard (via GameSpot) shared its first quarter results for 2021. In so doing, the publisher let loose several nuggets of interesting information, including confirmation that Call of Duty: WWII developer Sledgehammer Games is helming 2021's Call of Duty installment. Activision also mentioned that Diablo Immortal recently entered its "second phase of testing" and is on target for a global release in 2021. The report said nothing of a specific due date or launch window for the online-centric mobile title.
If Diablo Immortal truly is on track for a 2021 rollout, Blizzard and the project's co-developer NetEase will have to begin sharing more concrete details in the very near future. A slew of questions continue to linger about the title, leaving Blizzard and Co. with quite a bit of ground to cover before day one arrives. At the very least, it seems fans can rest assured that Diablo Immortal isn't NetEase reskin, according to previous comments from Lead Game Producer Caleb Arseneaux.
Diablo faithful will have plenty of hellish adventures to sink their teeth into as the year wears on, given that Immortal counts as but one of two upcoming Diablo outings. Excitingly, Diablo II: Resurrected is slated to launch in 2021 as well, introducing the fan-favorite classic to a new generation of players with PC and console versions that include the Nintendo Switch. As of writing, the eagerly-anticipated remaster from Blizzard also lacks firm due date details.
Diablo Immortal hits Android and iOS devices on an unspecified date this year.
Source: Activision Blizzard via GameSpot