What you need to know
- Blizzard Entertainment's popular action RPG Diablo 4 was one of the biggest games in 2023, and has continued to be a big success in 2024.
- Now, new details from a developer's LinkedIn profile have revealed that the game has made over $1 billion in total revenue since its launch last year, with $150 million of that coming from in-game microtransaction purchases.
- Diablo 4's microtransactions have a reputation for being egregiously overpriced, and many players have scathingly criticized them for many months.
- However, Diablo 4 has also gotten significant improvements and additions over time, with the upcoming Vessel of Hatred expansion looking to be a huge boost to the game.
Blizzard Entertainment's huge action RPG Diablo 4 was undoubtedly one of 2023's biggest games, and it's remained an incredibly popular title over the course of this year as well. It's always been clear that it's been a financial success, but now, thanks to some newly discovered details on the LinkedIn page of Blizzard senior product manager Harrison Froeschke (thanks, Gamepressure), we have an idea of exactly how much cash it's pulled in for the developer.
According to what Froeschke wrote (his profile has since been taken down), Diablo 4 has made over $1 billion in all-time revenue since its launch in early June last year. Of that, a sizable $150 million has some from microtransaction purchases on in-game shop items like weapon skins, armor sets, and other premium cosmetics.
"Leading the monetization strategy of the store cosmetics, pricing, bundle offers, personalized discounts, and roadmap planning which have driven over $150M MTX lifetime revenue," read part of the description of Froeschke's work at the studio. He also helped carry out "every step of game sales since game pre-order to the first expansion by configuring and collaborating with other teams resulting in over $1B total lifetime revenue."
Given that Diablo 4 stands as the fastest-selling Blizzard game ever, its impressive performance isn't exactly shocking. Still, what I was surprised to see is that the game's microtransactions account for a full 15% of its total revenue, given that it's a fully priced title on all of its platforms. And sure, some of its players come from Xbox Game Pass, but the hack-and-slash ARPG only made it to Microsoft's buffet-style gaming service in March following the firm's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for Xbox.
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Another reason I was surprised by the statistic is that Diablo 4's in-game purchases are notorious for being egregiously overpriced, especially for items being sold in a game that already has a $40-50 barrier-to-entry. We've written about how Diablo 4 has done little to earn these shop prices in the past, but as my colleague Jez Corden wrote in that piece, many players are likely detached from community discourse and don't care much. Perhaps that's what this number is telling us.
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To Blizzard's credit, Diablo 4 has been updated frequently over time with numerous high-level patches, with its next big update poised to make the Season of Loot Reborn look like a hotfix with how massive it is. That comes after Season 5's patch notes were so long that my finger got tired scrolling through them; overall, if there's one thing to be said with certainty, it's that the game's developers are not resting on their laurels.
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On that note, it's worth keeping in mind that Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion is just a few weeks away from its scheduled October 8 release, with the DLC bringing the returning Diablo 2 zones Teganze Plains and Torajan Jungle, a fresh story centered around the Prime Evil Mephisto, and a dexterity-based class called the Spiritborn to the action RPG. Following its launch, Blizzard then intends to allow feedback on the expansion to guide their approach towards future seasons and the second upcoming DLC.
Ultimately, even with the negative reputation Diablo 4's in-game purchases have, it's clear that they — along with the game itself — are continuing to rake in a healthy profit, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
