Three betas, an early access period, and one official launch later,Diablo 4is off to a strong start for Blizzard. Not only hasDiablo 4shattered previous sales records for the series, but it currently stands as the fastest-selling Blizzard game of all time. With millions of concurrent players across multiple platforms and an engaging campaign to keep players busy ahead of the game’s first live-service content, the first month of the game’s release is proving to be a major event within the gaming industry. That said, the month of June may pale in comparison with what is in store forDiablo 4players in July.
Although no official dates have been given yet, Blizzard has promised the first Season and Battle Pass' arrival inDiablo 4for “mid-to-late July,” meaning that fans have just a few short weeks before getting their hands on the game’s first live-service content. Ahead ofDiablo 4’s official live-service beginnings, Blizzard is hard at work patching and re-balancing gameplay while also working diligently to address connectivity and server issues. Outside the live-service content planned for the game, players also have DLC story expansions and new class archetypes to look forward to, indicating that the content players have access to inDiablo 4’s first month is just the tip of the iceberg.
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July Brings the First Season and Battle Pass to Diablo 4
During the first week ofDiablo 4’s launch, the only indication that the game is a live-service title is the need for an always-online connection and regular encountering of other players. It’s not until the end of July that players will finally get their first impressions of how the game will fare in the live-service realm thanks to the introduction ofDiablo 4’s first Season and Battle Pass. Not content to simply reward players with cosmetics and call it a day, the paid Battle Pass unlocks 90 tiers of seasonal rewards that can have an impact on character progression and non-seasonal content thanks to the potential to earn greater EXP and Obols for use at the Purveyor of Curiosities.
It’s worth pointing out thatDiablo 3’s seasonal model helped to transform the meta for the game as well as extend its lifespan for over a decade, providing precedent for the same to happen withDiablo 4. Additionally, the launch ofDiablo 4has, so far, been a much more resounding success for Blizzard than themisstep that wasDiablo 3’s launch. During this first week of its release,Diablo 4has maintained nearly 3 million concurrent players on average, and there’s every reason to believe that the first live-service content drop for the game will see those numbers increase as it enters its life as a live-service title.
Diablo 4’s Second Month May Bring Quality of Life Updates With It
In addition to the clearly defined roadmap and seasonal content set to drop in the second month of the game’s existence,Diablo 4has plenty of room to growand improve in the weeks following its release. The astonishingly high player counts are great for the developer and publisher, but if the servers can’t withstand that kind of traffic then it’s all for naught. Thankfully, Blizzard is continually working on providing players with resolutions to connectivity issues and server problems through a dedicated support team and regular updates regarding the game’s connectivity.
One issue that many players have withDiablo 4is the need to have a constant online connection in order to play, even if planning on venturing through Sanctuary solo. While this is a typical gripe that fans have with live-service games, there’s a distinct possibility that the next weeks could see Blizzard roll out amuch-needed Offline Mode toDiablo 4for those that only have interest in the base game and don’t plan on engaging with the title as a live-service.Diablo 4has been a step back in the right direction toward regaining lost fan favor for Blizzard, and the second month of the title’s existence could prove that it has nowhere to go but up.
Diablo 4is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
