Ex-Employee of Blizzard Defends Fans Frustrated with Diablo Immortal

Since its reveal fans of the Diablo franchise have been voicing their vexation about Diablo Immortal, the upcoming mobile title based on the acclaimed and popular franchise. Since its debut game developers and journalist have come to defend the game with some going as far to insult the fans.

One former employee from Blizzard Mark Kern, who led the team behind World of Warcraft and help develop some of Blizzard's other acclaimed titles such as Starcraft and Diablo II, took the side of the gamers stating that Blizzard has lost touch with gamers.

Blizzard gamers are not smugly "entitled." Nor are they toxic, and they most certainly are not made about a mobile version of Diablo because they hates the wemyzn (the craziest blue-check theory I've seen so far).

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

Since I was producer on Diablo 2, a lot of people have been asking for my thoughts on the whole "Diablo Immortal" fiasco. I hate to say it, but what you are seeing is Blizzard not understanding gamers anymore.

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

There is nothing wrong with having a mobile version of Diablo. In fact, I would have wanted one as an option. But the way it was hinted at, and presented, and the failure of Blizzard management to predict the backlash caught me my surprise. Blizzard used to be really gamer driven

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

Blizzard coyly played up the Diablo hype, which is a good move, but failed to anticipate that their PC based audience was going to expect...well...a PC based announcement. And that following all that hype up with a *different* product is a huge bait-n-switch feeling moment.

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

Blizzard has said now, that they are working on multiple Diablo projects. They really should have dropped a teaser for their PC based project alongside their mobile announcement if that's the case.

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

Kern went on to explain how blaming the customer for not liking the product is not the way to go.

And I like how Blizzard isn't blaming their customers (yet), but say they are "passionate." That's pretty good so far, but an apology an a PC reveal would be better. They are busy with Blizzcon wind-down, but I hope to see a better response after all this.

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

As for mainstream game journalists, they ARE blaming gamers, and so are a lot of know-nothing devs in mobile and indie. To them I say: be prepared to lose a lot of customers and money. Because it's never right to blame your customers for your own PR blunders and learn nothing.

— Mark Kern (@Grummz) November 4, 2018

Many fans are siding with Kern's statement with lots of gamers deciding not to download the game even if its a free-to-play title.

Opinion

The way Blizzard unveiled Diablo Immortal was strange. BlizzCon houses predominantly PC gamers and to end a series of presentations on a mobile title for one of the most critically acclaimed PC franchises of all time was a poor decision. Providing a tease for an upcoming PC Diablo project to end on would've been much better and probably not cause the storm that Blizzard is trying to calm.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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