Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo 4 (hereinafter referred to as Blizzard) is approaching long-term box office success thanks to the season system. The first season, which started on July 21, takes its place, and the second season starts on October 18. From the point of view of the development team, the various know-how gained in the first season can be applied in the second season.
Diablo 4 was released in major countries around the world on June 6th. Upon release, it became Blizzard’s best-selling game of all time. In Korea, it ranked third with a 6% PC room market share. And Rod Ferguson, who oversees the Diablo series, said: “The release is just the beginning. After the release, we will make the game a long-term box office game with various updates and seasonal systems.”
And on July 21, season 1 started. The season system is key to long-term box office success, Blizzard said. The development team said that the goal is to introduce new content regularly throughout the season and bring new experiences to users. In the first season, a new element called “Heart of Evil” was applied with various effects.
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When the first season started, interest in the game increased again. The share of computer rooms in Korea also slightly increased. Similar to how various stats increase through updates in mobile games, Diablo 4 has a structure where various stats rise and fall in accordance with the season’s update cycle.
However, not everything went well. Especially game balance. A massive patch was made ahead of the first season, and users didn’t respond well to it. In response, the development team held an online broadcast, with director Joe Shirley, who led the development of Diablo 4, saying: “We will not be doing a massive patch in the future.” And the Barbarian and Elementalist were quickly upgraded. In addition, an error occurred when copying items and gold, temporarily blocking the trade function.
After going through this process, in early September, the third month of release of Diablo 4 will soon be released. In the meantime, from the point of view of the development team, there was trial and error, unforeseen situations could occur, but there were no fatal accidents. First of all, the season system is well established, which is the most important factor in long-term box office success. And on the eve of Gamescom 2023, a promo video for the second season was released. The second season starts on October 18th.
From the point of view of the development team, the second season is an opportunity to compensate for what users noted in the first season or considered a disadvantage. If the 1st season was just an element prepared by the developers, then starting from the 2nd season there is a place to reflect the opinions of the users. Perhaps that’s why Season 2 has elements that make it easier for users to enjoy the game, such as an increase in the number of conquistadors, skill points, potions and silver coins, as well as gems that do not take up space in the storage box. In addition, the system of elemental resistance and critical damage has been reorganized.
If the current performance and popularity continues until the end of the second season, “Diablo 4” will seriously stand on the long-term box office. The second season will go through the end of the year season, the peak season for the gaming industry. Depending on what the development team does, it may be popular again immediately after release. The focus is on whether Diablo 4 can successfully launch seasons one and two and continue its long-term box office success.
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Reporter Kim Chang Hoon changhoon8@gamevu.co.kr
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