Diablo Immortal Release Date And PC Version Revealed
Originally announced in 2018, Blizzard now has an official release date in 2022. The studio says Immortal will be "the largest Diablo game" it has ever released, with richer combat experiences and more distinct zones than in any game the franchise has yet produced. Touted to be the first massively multiplayer online action role-playing game (MMOARPG) in the acclaimed series, the free-to-play title has been developed with mobile gaming in mind.
Surprisingly though, the game won't be limited to smartphones. Diablo Immortal is also coming to PC, and it will arrive on both mobile and Windows platforms as an open beta at the same time. Blizzard notes that the reason it decided to bring the mobile-first Diablo game to PC was the "recurring piece of feedback" that asked for the ability to play Immortal on PC as well.
In a separate blog post, the studio adds that it knew players would fire up an emulator to play the game on PC, so it went ahead and officially ported it for the Windows platform with some tweaks in tow. It appears that Blizzard wants to keep Diablo fans busy as it continues the development of Diablo 4, which was delayed in November last year and still doesn't have a release window in sight. It is worth noting here that both the PC and mobile versions of Diablo Immortal will support full cross-play and cross-progression.
A mobile-first Diablo for PC
There is no word how long the beta testing on PC will last, but whenever Diablo Immortal eventually leaves the beta phase, all progress and purchases will carry over to the stable channel. Notably, both the PC and mobile versions of the game will support controller input, however, typing a message in the game will require a keyboard, either physical or the on-screen version.
And for the first time, Blizzard claims that a Diablo game will let players use the W/A/S/D directional keys to navigate their way around the map. Diablo Immortal will retain the familiar left click-heavy button combo that has been a staple of the series for character movement and abilities, but Blizzard fleshed out the former with W/A/S/D key support as an extra method for movement controls. And to ensure that the finicky gesture controls on a phone don't ruin the experience, the developers have added thick black bars on all sides by proportionally shrinking UI elements such as the mini-map, ability icons, and the top-level menu buttons.
The company also revealed that the plot of the game is set between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III. Players will get to choose between six character classes and will have to battle some familiar baddies like Baal, one of three Prime Evils alongside Mephisto and Diablo. Pre-registration for Diablo Immortal is already live on this page for mobile, while Battle.Net will handle things on PC. Diablo Immortal will be released for iOS, Android, and Windows PC on June 2, 2022.