Author: Trafficblast

To say that Diablo Immortal made a big impression on fans at BlizzCon 2018 would be putting it mildly. While it isn’t the kind of Diablo many were expecting, the upcoming action-RPG brings the traditional loot-oriented hack-and-slash gameplay to mobile devices, giving players another way to play the series on-the-go. While the mobile game looks and plays very similarly to the console editions of Diablo 3, Immortal focuses a bit more on offering quick dungeon-crawler gameplay in bite-sized form with many other players online.

At BlizzCon 2018, we spent some time diving into the game and spoke with designer Wyatt Cheng about the making of Immortal–made in collaboration with NetEase Games. As the first mobile exclusive game of the series, it uses a touch-screen interface for movement and combat, while also placing a larger focus on teaming up with other players. The announcement was largely met with a negative response from fans, many of whom were expecting the reveal of the next core entry in the series. Despite this, the developers aim for Immortal to flesh out the lore of Diablo lore, while standing equally alongside the other games.

Interestingly enough, Immortal is set during the twenty year gap between Diablo 2 and 3, showing what many familiar heroes and villains were up to during the time before the latest core entry of the series. Pulling together six familiar heroes–the Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Wizard, and the Necromancer–you’ll be able to piece together the events that happened during the unknown period after Diablo 2. In our chat with the development team, they spoke about the current reception the game has had, while also elaborating a bit more on what they find is appealing about Immortal.

“We were looking at this 20 year period in between Diablo II, Lord of Destruction, and Diablo III, and we said, “All these events happened, so we should take a look at creating a game that explores that space in time,” Cheng said. “We like to say that it’s like Star Wars: Rogue One, which is an amazing movie. That movie takes place in between three and four, but it can be watched as a movie on its own. And it’s a great movie on its own. But then if you know the lore of three and four, you’re like, “Oh my goodness, this happened and that happened, and that’s Vader, and whoa,” and it completes the picture for you.”

During the 15-minute demo on-hand at BlizzCon, we got a stronger sense of what Immortal aims to offer. When it comes to gameplay, the mobile title is very much in-line with previous Diablo games–albeit with a more streamlined approach. Though its focus is still very much on the loot grind and building up your chosen character, there’s more of an emphasis on online gameplay. Though the developers refer to it as an MMO, we only got a limited glimpse of that, which felt similar to a standard online game of Diablo 3. In the full game, towns will be massive player hubs to interact with others, get new quests, and with dungeons allowing for up to four players to team up. Immortal will also have live-service model upon launch, which will add new content on a scheduled basis. But at this time, the developers weren’t able to share any further details about it, or even if Immortal will be free-to-play or a paid title.

As is the case for bringing a well-loved game series to mobile, there’s usually some initial apprehension. I certainly felt that when trying to figure out how the rather involved mechanics of character growth and loot would function on a touch interface. With that said, Immortal felt pretty smooth after spending some time adjusting. Movement is controlled via the left side of the screen, while skills are all placed on the right side–which can be aimed and controlled by dragging to a particular area on the screen. Picking up loot and activating objects in the environment are entirely contextual, allowing you to tap the screen to interact with them.

While Immortal is a more simplified take on the slash-and-grab mechanics of previous games–dropping the mana resource in favor of skills cooldowns, for instance–it still very much retains all the familiar and core mechanics of a Diablo game. I actually found myself enjoying the game much more than I thought I would, which surprised me. With recent advances in mobile tech, Immortal appears visually similar to the Switch release, which is impressive. The developers were keen on trying out something a bit different with the series, and they felt mobile was the next big step.

“We really rely on people here at BlizzCon who can play the demo,” said the game designer. “Because I think, Chris Metzen mentioned it in our first panel, he’s like, ‘When I first heard about the project I was skeptical.’ And I think that’s reasonable in today’s world, our modern world, to be a little skeptical. But then for the people who play it, if they can go out and say, ‘No, no, no, seriously, guys. I was at BlizzCon. I played the demo. It was awesome.’ Hopefully that word of mouth spreads.”

There’s still much we don’t know about Diablo Immortal, and at this time, that certainly feels like it’s working against it. The first impression it made at BlizzCon wasn’t a great one, and that will likely continue until more details specifics on the game are revealed. With that said, Immortal has translated the core framework and mechanics down to mobile devices in an impressive way. While it certainly isn’t Diablo 4, it’s also clear that it’s not trying to be. I don’t see it as a true replacement for Diablo 3–the recent Switch version will keep me from doing that for sometime–but I can see myself playing this game during my usual downtime. I was surprisingly pleased with how Immortal played, and it’ll be interesting to see how the game will pan out once it launches in 2019.

For more info about all the content from BlizzCon 2018, including the trailer for Overwatch‘s new character Ashe, and the reveal of Warcraft III: Reforged, be sure to check out GameSpot for more coverage.

Unlike the previous Fallout games, Fallout 76 is an online, multiplayer-focused game that requires an internet connection. So what happens if Bethesda has to shut off the servers at some point? That’s not something Bethesda is thinking about, and least not in its conversations with the public, because the company believes Fallout 76 can last until the sun burns out.

“How long is [Fallout 76] going to be up? Forever,” Hines told GameSpot, doubling down on what he’s said before. “I don’t know how to give an answer other than that. It’s not like anybody makes a game and goes, ‘Well this is going to make it for 10 years if we’re lucky.’ Nobody thinks that way. How long has WoW been up now? Is that game planning to sunset in a year? I seriously doubt it.”

Fallout 76 requires an internet connection, and that itself requires Bethesda to pay for servers. As we’ve seen in other franchises with online support, there can come a time when developers understandably choose to focus on newer titles that have more active player populations. Hines suggested that Bethesda may stop operating Fallout 76 if people stop playing, but again, he stressed that Bethesda’s support for Fallout 76 aims to be “never-ending.”

“We’re going to keep going as long as people keep playing it and it shows no sign of slowing down,” he said. “Once we get to private servers or whatever happens in the years following; I don’t know. Maybe there’s a point where it doesn’t matter. But … this is a massive franchise and a massive undertaking, and our commitment to it is it is never-ending, and that it continues on an ongoing basis.”

Because Fallout 76 is an online-only game, should Bethesda ever decide to pull the plug on the servers, how does that impact the idea of ownership of the game? Hines said game ownership “isn’t particularly relevant” at this juncture because, “I see a plan for this game for years and years and years. So talking about when it’s not up is kind of irrelevant. I have nothing to look at that says it’s not going to be up forever.”

In the past, when games had little or no online functionality, they would theoretically continue to work until the end of time. But in this new era of connected experiences, that’s changed, and it’ll be interesting to see how that affects the idea of what it means to own a game. The topic of game preservation for historical and educational purposes is also at play here. If, say, a museum wanted to preserve Fallout 76 and allow attendees to play it in 50 or 100 years, whether or not that is possible is not a sure thing.

Fallout 76 being an online-only game doesn’t mean Bethesda is finished making single-player games. Rage 2, which launches in 2019, is a purely single-player game, while Doom Eternal will also have single-player. Additionally, the next game from Bethesda Game Studios, the sci-fi title Starfield, is “entirely single-player,” Hines said.

“Our statement wasn’t that we were only ever going to do single-player; it’s going to continue to be an important part of what we do. But a part. We’re also the guys who do The Elder Scrolls Online, we’re also the guys who do The Elder Scrolls Legends,” Hines said.

In December 2017, Bethesda released a tongue-in-cheek video starring Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter calling on gamers to “save” the single-player gamer. Many of Bethesda’s biggest games were more focused on single-player, so it caught some in the industry by surprise when Bethesda announced the always-online Fallout 76. As Hines explains, Bethesda still believes in single-player, but it also wants to try new things on the multiplayer side as well.

Also in our interview, Hines stressed that Bethesda corporate doesn’t give mandates to its development studios about what they should make next. Some people believed Fallout 76’s new online direction was the result of management chasing money, but Hines says that’s not true. It was entirely the developer’s decision, from the onset, to make Fallout 76 an online game. And more widely, Hines talked about how Bethesda gives its teams freedom to make what they want.

“It’s down to our devs and the kinds of experiences they want to create that will really drive what we make as opposed to, ‘X percent of our games have to have a heavy emphasis on single-player or be only single-player.’ That’s silly and arbitrary. What does Arkane want to make next? What does BGS want to make next? Let’s focus those things and how excited we get. And if we are, we feel like everybody else will.”

Fallout 76 launches on November 14 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A version of the game for Nintendo Switch “wasn’t doable,” according to Hines.

This episode of New Releases is all about re-releases like The Forest and World of Final Fantasy Maxima, but leading that pack is Tetris Effect, a re-imagined version of one of the biggest video games of all time. It’s not the only VR title dropping this week either, as From Software’s Déraciné arrives too. Meanwhile, zombie lovers looking for a co-op experience can get their fix with Overkill’s The Walking Dead.

Déraciné — November 6

Available on: PS4

Looking at the screenshot above, you probably wouldn’t guess that this PlayStation VR exclusive comes from the team behind Dark Souls. From Software’s VR debut couldn’t be more different from the Souls series, though: you control a fairy flying around a boarding school frozen in time. You’ll piece together the mystery of what happened there as you find clues and meet the schoolchildren.

Further Reading:

Overkill’s The Walking Dead — November 6

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Overkill is the team behind the Payday series, and it’s bringing the same cooperative craziness to the world of The Walking Dead. Set in a zombie-filled Washington, DC, this shooter has you choose from one of four heroes, each with unique abilities. From there, you’ll have to work together with the others if you hope to survive.

Further Reading:

The Forest — November 6

Available on: PS4

The Forest may have already left Early Access on PC, but it’s landing on PS4 this week. A father and son crash land on a forest island that happens to be home to a cannibalistic tribe. This survival game challenges you to gather resources, build shelters and weapons, and hold off the tribe if you want to make it out alive.

Further Reading:

World of Final Fantasy Maxima — November 6

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

This re-release of the 2016 game is still all about capturing Final Fantasy monsters and summoning fan-favorite heroes into battle, but this time protagonists Reynn and Lann can actually transform into those champions via the new Avatar Change feature. There are more monsters, dubbed Mirages, to capture Pokemon-style too.

Further Reading:

Tetris Effect — November 9

Available on: PS4

Re-imagining an all-time classic like Tetris isn’t easy, but this project is directed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the mind behind the Rez and Lumines series. Tetris Effect brings a ton of new modes and features, including a Zone mechanic that allows you to clear over 18 lines at once for a “perfectris.” You can experience all the effects in PSVR too.

Further Reading:

November has barely begun, and the next episode of New Releases is one of the most loaded of the year. We’ll take a look at Hitman 2, Fallout 76, Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu / Let’s Go Eevee, and more.

Farmers in Australia are suffering through an extended drought, and the developers of the Farming Simulator franchise are stepping up to make a significant donation to the relief efforts.

The game’s distribution partners around the world, including Five Star Games and Focus Home Interactive, as well as developer Giants Software, have combined forces to donate $50,000 to the charity Drought Angels to support the relief campaign.

The money will go towards giving practical assistance to farmers and the communities surrounding them.

“Sadly unlike in our game the effects of the drought are real,” Giants Software marketing boss Martin Rabl said in statement. “Working with Drought Angels allows us to give something back to the Aussie farming community for which we have the deepest respect.”

Relief campaigns like this are incredibly important, especially because there is no end in sight for the drought. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology released its climate outlook report for November to January this week, and it predicts a hotter-than-average summer for much of the country, along with lower-than-average rainfall.

“Farmers would have preferred to see an above average rainfall forecast, and we wish we could have provided one too,” bureau manager of long-term forecasts Dr. Andrew Watkins said (via The Guardian). “Unfortunately what the farmers need is several months of above average rainfall to catch up. Usually about three months at least. It will take a while to get out of the drought.”

Farming Simulator 19 launches on November 20 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.