Blizzard Announces Diablo Immortal For Mobile
There's a new Diablo game coming! But not to your PC or game console. Instead, Blizzard wrapped up its BlizzCon Opening Ceremony by announcing Diablo Immortal, a game built entirely with smartphones and tablets in mind.
The game takes place in the 20-year gap between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, after the destruction of the Worldstone. According to Blizzard, "the fragments of the Worldstone corrupt the land" in Diablo Immortal, and Sanctuary is now overrun with some not-so-friendly forces.
Blizzard promises that, despite being a mobile game, you shouldn't feel like you're getting any less of a Diablo experience. Diablo Immortal is still billed as a massively multiplayer online RPG, you can still group up and play with others as you please, and there are "unique zones & dungeons" ready to be explored for those willing.
But it'll be interesting to see how exactly a game like Diablo moves from mouse-and-keyboard, or even gamepads, over to Android smartphones, iPhones, and iPads.
A look at some of the gameplay on the official Diablo Immortal website gives us some hints as to how things will work. Movement appears to be done by tapping on the screen, which directs your character to the specified point. And there are dedicated on-screen buttons for things like attacks, spells, and items. It seems like players will have most of what they need at their fingertips (sorry), but it remains to be seen how they'll take to doing all that tapping on buttons without any tactile feeling to them.
In the heat of the action, a weapon attack instead of a spell could mean certain doom. And it seems like you could definitely hit the wrong button if you're not paying attention.
Blizzard didn't offer any hints as to when Diablo Immortal will see an official launch. The official website, however, says it's "coming soon," and a pre-register link is up for those who'd like to take part in beta tests and get the latest news on the game. We'll keep you informed if we hear anything about a release date, as well.