Today, Blizzard announced that Diablo Immortal will be out on June 2 for iOS, Android, and PC. The PC version was a surprise as Blizzard had previously said that this new entry in the ARPG dungeon-crawlin’ franchise was built for mobile devices from the ground up. But according to the Warcraft developer, creating a native PC version of the upcoming game made sense after the company concluded that many people would just try to emulate it on PC anyway.
According to a blog post from Blizzard about the just-announced PC port, the team struggled with whether it should or shouldn’t create a desktop version of Diablo Immortal. They were concerned that simply releasing the mobile game on PC “wouldn’t be doing the title justice.” They reasoned that if they did create a PC port, it would need to include PC-friendly controls and other options. Ultimately, Blizzard decided to create this PC version of Immortal so that it could reach “as many players as possible—especially our most dedicated PC fans.”
Oh, and Blizzard also realized a lot of people would just use something like the free Android emulator BlueStacks to play Diablo Immortal on their PCs anyway. That experience would be inferior to a custom-built, native PC app, one which Blizzard would have more control over. While both the mobile versions of the game and the PC port will be out on June 2 for free, Blizzard is calling the PC version an “experiment,” and as such the game will launch on PC in a beta state and will be updated and improved as Blizzard receives feedback.
Diablo Immortal—first announced back in 2018—will also support crossplay and cross-progression on all devices, so you can keep playing your barbarian at home on your PC or on the train via your phone. The game will also support traditional keyboard and mouse controls on PC as well as controllers, and will use a modified HUD that should work better and look better on bigger monitors.
Of course, while many (myself included) are excited to get a native PC port of Diablo Immortal, it will likely be hard for some (also…myself included) to play the game following last year’s lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing after a years-long investigation turned up stories of multiple women suffering daily harassment and abuse while working at Activision Blizzard.
Since that December lawsuit was made public, the fallout has continued and led to people resigning, unionization efforts expanding, and even more lawsuits and investigations against the company and its execs.
