IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Worldstone is shattered, and it now falls to the heroes of Sanctuary to fend off the terrors rising in its wake. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that beginning June 2, players in most regions across the world will take up the call to defend against the Burning Hells in Diablo® Immortal ™, the first Blizzard game designed from the ground up for mobile, with the remaining regions in Asia-Pacific gaining access a few weeks later.
In addition to offering an uncompromised AAA experience on mobile, the most ambitious game released in the Diablo franchise’s 25-year history will enter into Open Beta on Windows® PC at launch. Diablo Immortal supports both cross-play and cross-progression, allowing Sanctuary’s heroes to join the fight with each other regardless of platform while being able to seamlessly transition between mobile and PC gameplay. The Open Beta on PC will contain all game features, including cross-play and cross-progression, and upon conclusion all progress will be maintained.
“The demons of the Burning Hells are ready to be slain in the most expansive Diablo game that Blizzard has ever released,” said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “As Blizzard’s first game designed from the ground up for mobile, it was important to us to deliver an experience worthy of the franchise, so we did a lot of testing, incorporated a lot of feedback, and created a game that we’re very excited to share with players. We’re looking forward to unleashing this epic new entry in the Diablo franchise, and we can't wait to join everyone in Sanctuary."
With the fate of Sanctuary in their hands, players will choose between six iconic Diablo classes–Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, or Wizard–and embark on a journey through eight unique zones and the great city of Westmarch. They will join up with new and familiar Diablo characters, including the franchise's patriarch Deckard Cain, on an expansive quest to hunt down the shattered pieces of the corrupted Worldstone before the forces of the Burning Hells can gather them for their own sinister plans in an epic all-new story taking place between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III.
Diablo Immortal features a MMOARPG (massively multiplayer online action-RPG) social experience that’s completely new to the series. Players will share a massive world with others as they explore Sanctuary, form Warbands with up to eight members to take on group challenges such as the intense Helliquary raid bosses, and join Clans with up to 150 friends to earn challenging Clan Achievements.
The game also features a robust faction-based PvP system. With the Cycle of Strife, players can band together to fight in an ongoing war in which the top player of the server will earn the Eternal Crown to become the leader of the Immortals. This puts them in the position of having to continuously defend their reign across a series of modes including brutal 1v30 showdowns.
Diablo Immortal will be free-to-play with optional in-game purchases, ensuring the core game experience will always be free. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase, Diablo Immortal will be available at launch on iOS®, Android®, and Windows® PC via Battle.net®. Over 30 million players have already pre-registered across all platforms to gain access as soon as the game launches, preparing themselves for the battles to come. All players will receive the stunning Horadrim Cosmetic Set to celebrate this significant milestone when the game launches.* This is just the beginning, as new content will be released regularly to players for free in the years to come, including new zones, dungeons, and character classes.
Bold adventurers can find more information, as well as pre-register for Diablo Immortal at diabloimmortal.blizzard.com.
For screenshots and other assets, visit https://blizzard.gamespress.com/Diablo-Immortal.
*Players must log in to Diablo Immortal and complete the game’s tutorial within 30 days after release to claim the Horadrim Cosmetic Set. Offer can only be claimed for one character per account.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo franchises, and the multifranchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-three #1 games* and numerous Game of the Year awards. The company's online gaming service, Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distributors.
About NetEase, Inc.
As a leading internet technology company based in China, NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999, “NetEase”) provides premium online services centered around innovative and diverse content, community, communication and commerce. NetEase develops and operates some of China’s most popular mobile and PC games. In more recent years, NetEase has expanded into international markets including Japan and North America. In addition to its self-developed game content, NetEase partners with other leading game developers, such as Blizzard Entertainment and Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary), to operate globally renowned games in China. NetEase’s other innovative service offerings include its majority-controlled subsidiaries Youdao (NYSE: DAO), China’s leading intelligent learning company, and Cloud Village (HKEX: 9899), also known as NetEase Cloud Music, China’s leading online music content community, as well as Yanxuan, NetEase’s private label e-commerce platform. For more information, please visit: http://ir.netease.com/.
Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.
iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the availability, pricing, features, and functionality of Diablo® Immortal™ are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
