Summary
A leaked survey has been making the rounds in theDiablo 4community, and if the information turns out to be true,Vessel of Hatredwould not only veer dangerously close to pay-to-win, but may also demand a $100 price tag for it. ThoughDiablo 4shattered Blizzard records, the following months have seen the game’s popularity sink by an almost unprecedented degree.Diablo 4’s Twitch viewership plummeted by over 98%compared to launch, and though Season of Blood introduced some quality-of-life changes, the latest Blizzard title has yet to add an expanded stash or fix the underlying issues with its itemization.
WhenDiablo 4: Vessel of Hatredwas announcedat BlizzCon 2023, a restored spark of excitement flickered in the game’s community. Rumors of a Spiritborn class, the return of hirelings, and a modern take on the beloved setting of Kurast seemed like exciting selling points.Diabloveterans remember that the game’s predecessor was similarly in dire straits at first, beforeReaper of SoulstransformedDiablo 3into a title worthy of its franchise, and there is certainly a chance thatVessel of Hatredwill replicate that success.
However, a very controversial leak has recently been the center of discussion amongDiablo 4players. The details of the alleged survey were forwarded by a fan, and shared by Bellular News on YouTube. Namely, Blizzard is considering four pricing options forVessel of Hatred: $50, $70, $80, and $100. Not only does each subsequent tier offer more bonuses, but it’s the type of bonuses that have alarmed the community to such a high degree. The benefits provided by the highest tiers include key expansion features, an expanded stash, and even access to new Uniques and Legendary Powers an entire Season earlier than non-premium players.
As pointed out by Ninak0ru in a Reddit thread created to discuss the topic, these bonuses would turnDiablo 4into a pay-to-win game. Even in its current state, themonetization inDiablo 4is widely criticizedfor its exorbitant microtransaction prices. The reaction to the survey strongly confirms that locking expansion features behind another paywall would be a step too far for most players. In addition to early access Uniques and Legendary Powers,Diablofans aren’t too thrilled about paying more money to access companions, which would seemingly collect loot and allow characters to access their stash on the fly.
While stash expansions are part of the monetization system forPath of Exile, it is balanced out by the game being free-to-play.Diablo 4, on the other hand, asks $70 for base game access, and may ask an additional $100 to unlock all its expansion features. Other monetization that Blizzard is allegedly considering are town portal skins, Hero Skins (similar toOverwatch 2), and even a completely different type ofmount forDiablo 4. The developers at Blizzard have certainly gotten plenty of feedback from the survey leak, but it remains to be seen what they will do with it.
