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Warcraft Arclight Rumble hands-on: Annoying and unbalanced
The beta is just as bad as the alpha — grind walls ruin the pacing
At the beginning of the month, Blizzard provided me with access to the alpha for Warcraft Arclight Rumble, and I can't say I came away impressed. The balance was way off, forcing unwanted grinding, and the level-based gacha design is pretty dated at this point. More or less, the game felt like it was about six years late to the party, but that was an alpha, so unpolished gameplay was expected. Well, development is moving quickly, so I've had a chance to test the recent beta over the last few days. So let's dig in and see how things are shaping up now that beta access is here.
Warcraft Arclight Rumble first look: Blizzard has a brand new RTS for mobile
Let's dig into the gameplay to see how it stacks up
Diablo Immortal isn't the only mobile game coming from Blizzard this year. The studio has been working on a Warcraft title specifically for portable play, known as Warcraft Arclight Rumble. It's still a work in progress, but the official reveal is today. At first glance, the game might look like a Clash Royale clone, but once you dig in, it's easy to see there's a little more going on within Warcraft Arclight Rumble, thanks to its focus on single-player content. Sure, PvP will exist, along with co-op, but what takes center stage is the primary campaign that offers 70+ missions. So let's dig in and see what Warcraft Arclight Rumble is all about!
Diablo Immortal release date set for June 2022
Blizzard confirms the long-awaited action role-playing game is coming to mobile and PC soon
On the cusp of the weekend, Blizzard announced it would hold a YouTube Premier event on April 25th, at the early hours of 7:30 am Eastern. Well, this event has just revealed Diablo Immortal's long-awaited release date. The game is almost ready after four years of development, set to arrive on the Play Store this June.
Diablo Immortal announcement incoming: Here's where to watch
Will Blizzard finally reveal the game's release date?
It's no secret that Diablo Immortal was stuck in development for the last four years after a particularly rememberable announcement at BlizzCon 2018 to a jeering audience. In the following years, an alpha and beta passed us by, and in that time, Blizzard has been busy continually polishing the game, and so it would appear that we are finally reaching endgame, as Blizzard has announced through a recent tweet that it will be holding a YouTube Premiere event this morning, Monday, April 25th.
At the beginning of February, Activision Blizzard released its fourth-quarter financial results. Like most earnings reports, the document is filled with all kinds of tasty tidbits, including a line that could be construed as interest in bringing "all-new" Warcraft content to mobile. Well, Blizzard has just confirmed what this report hinted at; the company is indeed working on a Warcraft mobile game, which will be the first game from Blizzard officially set in the Warcraft universe that's designed from the ground up for mobile.
Microsoft announces plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion
Potentially placing Microsoft as the third-largest gaming company behind Sony and Tencent
At this point, it's no secret that Activision Blizzard has been entangled in a seemingly never-ending series of trouble, ranging from a state lawsuit derived from employee misconduct and abuses to the CEO hiding the number of firings as part of the fallout of the company's widespread misconduct. And this doesn't even touch upon Blizzard's screw-ups, like the cringe-worthy announcement for Diablo Immortal (still not out four years later) or the absolute failure of Warcraft III: Reforged. This is where Microsoft sweeps in with a buyout offer for Activision Blizzard, and it's a whopping $68.7 billion all-cash offer, outclassing Microsoft's purchase of ZeniMax Media by almost 60 billion (to put things into perspective). So far, it sounds like the acquisition will go through, which will make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company behind Sony and Tencent.
Diablo Immortal delayed until 2022, but its most-requested feature might now be on the table
This postponement will allow for improvements, so there is a silver lining
Blizzard has been in the news a lot lately, but the company is still plugging along, and so it has published a fresh blog post that covers where Diablo Immortal is headed. Back in May, Blizzard hinted at a 2021 release for the free-to-play action RPG during an earnings call, but it would seem things haven't panned out, and so August's update post states the new plan is to release the game in the first half of 2022. So yes, Diablo Immortal has been delayed, but we've also learned that Blizzard is finally considering controller support (one of the most-requested features during the alpha tests), plus things like PvP and PvE gameplay are touched upon, more than likely for the purpose of illustrating that Blizzard is committed to creating a game worthy of the Diablo name, which is indeed a better direction than asking hardcore gamers if they have phones.
It's no secret that Diablo Immortal wasn't well-received when Blizzard announced the game in 2018. While we got a wonderful meme out of the fiasco, I'm sure this wasn't Blizzard's intention. And so years passed until we heard about the game again, and it honestly didn't look all that bad, plus Blizzard was incredibly upfront about the plans for the game's systems, including its monetization, a surprising move. This is how we know Blizzard is flirting with a P2W system where you can pay money for a chance at better rewards, though this is mostly shoved off to the late game, resulting in an early gameplay experience that feels similar to the core series. So from what we know on the possible cusp of the game's release, I'm wondering how our readers feel about the impending launch, whether or not they will play the game once it's out, which is precisely what this article is all about.
Diablo Immortal gets a fresh hint at official launch date
An earnings call suggests the game is on track for release this year
Activision Blizzard recently held an earnings call. During this call, the COO Daniel Alegre stated that Diablo Immortal "is on track for global release later this year," which is the first time Blizzard has mentioned an actual release date for the game. Up until this call, all we knew is that the title had entered into its second alpha, which I took for a spin and came away reasonably impressed. So it's looking like Diablo Immortal could be released soon, and after such a long wait (it was announced in 2018), I'm sure there are a few Diablo fans out there that are eager to get their hands on the game.
I got into the Diablo Immortal closed alpha — here's an hour of gameplay
So far the game is pretty good
Earlier this week Diablo Immortal entered into a closed alpha test in Australia, and I've managed to gain access to this alpha and so I've recorded an hour-long gameplay video at 1080p/60FPS so everyone can see how it currently plays. This video shows off all of the selectable characters, the game's settings, and offers plenty of gameplay as the Crusader. While Blizzard is adamant that Diablo Immortal is still a work in progress, since the current alpha is limited to Australia I figured those around the rest of the world might want to see how development is moving forward.
Diablo Immortal's closed alpha is getting a big update, but you probably still can't join the fun
Don't you have Australian phones?
Blizzard has announced that the latest alpha test for Diablo Immortal is underway. Much like the technical alpha that launched back in December, this new closed alpha is available primarily to those that live in Australia. Keep in mind this is a limited alpha, so only a select number of people will be able to get in. As expected, this limited alpha signals that development is continuing forward, especially now that there is some end-game content available along with new zones, dungeons, and a raised level cap.
Interview: Diablo Immortal lead designer Wyatt Cheng details what's next for the hotly-anticipated MMO
Plus the latest BlizzCon coverage
Ever since Diablo Immortal was announced at BlizzCon 2018, it has had a cloud around its development. This announcement was poorly received at the time, and in the years following, Blizzard fell silent. Then out of nowhere, a technical alpha was launched last year while Blizzard simultaneously released a plethora of content that detailed the game's design, gameplay, and monetization plans. This was a reassuring maneuver to assuage fears of a blatant cash grab, and the lead designer Wyatt Cheng has detailed further at BlizzCon 2021 what we can expect from the upcoming mobile MMO. This reveal was followed up with an interview with Wyatt Cheng as well as the combat designer Julian Love to dig even deeper, so if you've been wondering about the game's current direction, we have tons of tidbits to share.
Diablo Immortal kicks off its first technical alpha in Australia
And Blizzard has released tons of info about the game across its websites
Over two years ago, Blizzard announced Diablo Immortal to a round of jeers at BlizzCon, creating a wonderful meme that will not soon be forgotten. Pre-registration was offered at the time of the announcement, though in the following years, Blizzard didn't offer much information about the game. It would appear Blizzard is no longer staying quiet, and so the company has announced a limited alpha on Android that's now available in Australia, all while releasing tons of new information across its websites. More or less, things actually appear to be shaping up nicely, though it's clear the game will be free-to-play while offering a battle pass as well as an in-game shop.
A few months ago we learned that Hearthstone's next expansion would begin the Year of the Dragon, and now that the Rise of Shadows expansion has officially dropped, the Year of the Dragon has indeed begun. You can expect the expansion to bring 135 new cards themed around a formidable gang of evildoers, and for a limited time players can claim a free Legendary minion card by logging in.
Blizzard has announced the new yearly rotation for Hearthstone, and it's called the Year of the Dragon. The next expansion to release in 2019 will signal the beginning of this newly-announced year. Over the next twelve months, three new 130-card expansions will be coming our way, and each one will be tied to the last thanks to a continuous story that will span across all three.
By now, you've probably heard all about Blizzard's blunder of an announcement for Diablo Immortal, an upcoming mobile MMORPG. Of all places, Blizzard chose to reveal this game at BlizzCon, which didn't go over too well with the hardcore fans that attend such an event. But now that the dust has settled a little, many of us are still left wondering if Diablo Immortal is actually a cheaply made mobile MMORPG or a rightful member of the franchise. If anything, Blizzard's refusal to comment on the monetization is somewhat worrying.
BlizzCon 2018 is in full swing, and Blizzard has just revealed the latest entry into the Diablo series. The new game, which is coming soon, is called Diablo Immortal, and it's is an MMO set to take place between Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and Diablo III. So, why are we mentioning it? Turns out, it's coming to Android.
Battle.net is the one-stop shop for all Blizzard games, from Overwatch to World of Warcraft. But until now, there wasn't a mobile app available to chat with your friends or manage your profile, like Steam offers. Seemingly out of nowhere, Blizzard has released a Battle.net companion app for Android.
FabZat, a merchandising and 3D printing company, has partnered with Blizzard Entertainment to announce that as of today they are offering custom 3D-printed and personalized Hearthstone-themed phone cases for $38.49. Currently, there are a total of 15 different case designs to choose from with more to come in the future.
Hearthstone, the ever more popular card game, has received its latest expansion. Knights of the Frozen Throne, announced last month, brings 135 new cards and introduces the infamous Lich King. Honestly, this one might be enough to get me back into playing.