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Diablo IV, the latest edition of a video game franchise that has garnered millions of fans over more than 25 years, has broken internal records for its publisher Blizzard and sold more than $666 million since its June 6 launch. has crossed.
The game combines elements from different parts of the franchise, with dark and gothic atmosphere. fight monsters For an always-online approach where players can team up with friends and strangers alike to slay monsters.
The $666 million sales marker is a nod to the game’s demonic themes.
Rod Ferguson, general manager of Diablo and a senior vice president at Blizzard Entertainment, credited the early success to the company’s willingness to work across all platforms while embracing the diversity of today’s games and the franchise’s older features.
“We were trying to reach a really young audience,” Mr. Ferguson said in an interview. He added that the company was less concerned about getting older fans who were accustomed to earlier Diablo games to buy the latest installment. “If you’re paying attention, you can see it in our marketing,” Mr Ferguson said.
lists pop stars like Blizzard halsey, suga And billie eilish To promote the songs and early launch trailers on social media.
Users have played the game for over 276 million hours since its release. It was No. 1 in Twitch streams for the first nine days of June during the game’s early access period.
Why this matters: It’s a win for the company after tough times.
Activision Blizzard – which was formed after Activision and Blizzard merged in 2008 – has had a rough few years.
federal trade commission have moved to stop the company Proposed acquisition by Microsoft. The deal has also been challenged in other countries, and regulators argue that potential competitive consolidation could harm the future of the video game industry. (Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are fighting the challenge.)
Activision Blizzard has also faced employee in connection with the unrest and a lawsuit Claims of a “frat boy” culture that resulted in discrimination against women in the company. And in 2021, Bobby Kotick, chief executive of Activision Blizzard, said the company was Pledge $250 million to hire more women and improving diversity over the next five years.
Background: Blizzard is having trouble launching the game.
Despite its popular back catalog of titles such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft and Overwatch, Blizzard has faced difficulties with the launch of its flagship properties and franchises. recently struggled with launch Overwatch 2’s. Players were troubled by early technical issues and fundamental changes in how the game was played.
Compared to previous titles, Diablo IV has had a good launch. There were only a few hiccups with some extended load times due to the high demands of gaming.
After a tweet showing a photo of a billboard promoting Diablo IV in Manhattan went viral, it earned itself a free — if unexpected — bump in promotion last week. Afterwards smoke from canadian wildfires With the city skyline painted orange, the billboard’s message took on a new, ominous meaning.
Message: “Welcome to Hell, New York.”
