Blizzard delays Diablo Immortal to 2022

Blizzard Entertainment said it now plans to release Diablo Immortal, the company’s mobile action RPG, sometime in the first half of 2022.

The company had planned to release the game sometime this year, but updates to PvP and endgame content, as well as a new option for controller support, mean Diablo Immortal won’t meet its previously communicated release window.

On the game’s official website, the Diablo Immortal team said in a development update,

Following feedback provided by test participants of the Closed Alpha, our team has been tuning core and endgame features. For example, we’re iterating on PvP content like the Cycle of Strife to make it more accessible, alongside late-game PvE content like the Helliquary to make it more engaging. We’re also working to provide controller support for those who want to play our game in a different way. However, these changes and additional opportunities to improve our gameplay experience will not be realized in the 2021 timeframe we had previously communicated. So, the game is now planned for release in the first half of 2022, which will allow us to add substantial improvements to the whole game.

Those improvements include adding new PvE raids in Diablo Immortal’s Helliquary where bosses are now designed as a challenge for raids of eight players to overcome, and updates to Challenge Rifts that will reward new upgrade materials that can’t be obtained in other modes. Blizzard also said it plans to improve the PvP Battleground mode: “We’ll evaluate matchmaking, earning rankings, class balance, time to kill, and other defining elements to improve the Battleground in Diablo Immortal.”

Blizzard said it’s “still working through the challenges of adapting the touch screen controls to a controller seamlessly,” with accessibility “top of mind.”

On Diablo Immortal’s endgame and associated gear, Blizzard said it’s “evaluating more ways to make top tier and legendary gear exciting and sought after, especially for players who’ve surpassed max level on their character(s). After hitting level cap, Paragon levels increase your character’s power. In Diablo Immortal, we want this end-game progression to be worthwhile, offering unique bonuses in the form of stat boosts and special perks. However, having a higher Paragon should also reap better rewards. We are implementing a system that enable players with higher Paragon levels or players taking on higher difficulties to receive more powerful items.”

Blizzard opened Diablo Immortal to alpha testing in December 2020, and began endgame alpha testing in April 2021.

Diablo Immortal, first announced at BlizzCon 2018, is coming to Android and iOS.