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Diablo IV, the latest iteration of the video game series that has amassed millions of fans for over 25 years, breaks publisher Blizzard’s internal record, with sales of 666 million since its June 6 debut. over a million dollars.
The game combines elements from different parts of the franchise, from the dark, gothic atmosphere of battling demons, to the always-online approach that allows players to work together to defeat monsters alike with friends and strangers.
Sales of $666 million represent the game’s satanic theme.
Rod Ferguson, general manager of Diablo and senior vice president of Blizzard Entertainment, said early success was a testament to the company’s willingness to work across platforms while embracing the various features of today’s games and older features of the series. I said thanks.
“We were really trying to appeal to a younger audience,” Ferguson said in an interview. The company wasn’t too concerned about getting older fans accustomed to early Diablo games to buy the latest, he said. “If you pay attention, you’ll see it in our marketing,” Ferguson added.
Blizzard recruited pop stars like Suga Halsey and billie eilish To promote the song on social media or release trailers early.
Users have played over 276 million hours of the game since its release. During the game’s Early Access period, he topped his 9-day Twitch stream at the beginning of June.
Why it matters: This is a victory after a difficult time for the company.
Activision Blizzard was founded in 2008 by merging Activision and Blizzard, but the last few years have been tough.
The US Federal Trade Commission has moved to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of the company. The deal has also been challenged by other countries, with regulators arguing that potentially anti-competitive consolidation could harm the future of the video game industry. (Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are fighting this challenge.)
Activision Blizzard is also facing lawsuits over claims of employee riots and a “flat boy” culture that has led to discrimination against women in the company. And in 2021, Activision Blizzard Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said the company will spend $250 million over the next five years to hire more women and improve diversity.
Background: Blizzard was having problems launching the game.
Despite a catalog of popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Overwatch, Blizzard has had trouble launching major properties and franchises. Most recently, I was plagued with the following problem: release Players were upset by the early technical issues and radical changes in how the game was played.
Compared to past titles, the launch of Diablo IV seems to have progressed smoothly. Due to the high demand to play the game, we experienced only a few issues even with the extended load times.
It also got some unexpected, but free publicity after last week’s viral tweet with a picture of a billboard promoting Diablo IV in Manhattan. After the smoke from Canada’s wildfires dyed the city’s skyline orange, the billboard’s message took on an eerie new meaning.
The message is “Welcome to Hell, New York.”
