When Blizzard revealed Diablo Immortal, fans knew that the golden days of the franchise had come to an end.

When Destiny Rising was revealed back in 2024, it faced a massive backlash. Gamers couldn’t understand why such a reputable franchise was diving into the world of mobile gaming. However, it wasn’t Bungie who was developing the game; NetEase Games undertook the project.

Diablo Immortal was Blizzard’s attempt to dig into the mobile gaming market. (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Many in the community don’t consider Destiny Rising to be a part of the franchise; hence, the game’s failure hasn’t harmed the Bungie franchise in any way or shape. However, Blizzard’s decision to bring Diablo Immortal was truly a shot in its own foot, as it completely ruined everything.

Diablo Immortal will always be a stain for Blizzard

Gamers absolutely despised the reveal of Diablo Immortal. (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

After stating that a number of Diablo projects had been in development for months, Blizzard took to the main stage at BlizzCon 2018, where its most passionate and hardcore fans gathered for what was next from their beloved developer.

Gamers had been wanting the inevitable Diablo 4 announcement for PC, which was actually planned for the event. However, instead, they got a mobile game called Diablo Immortal. Initially, it seemed like a China-focused mobile game that lacked any gameplay and featured aggressive monetization.

At the time, the trailers for Diablo Immortal were setting records for the number of dislikes they were getting, comments were vanishing, and social media outlets such as Reddit and Twitter were filled with anti-Blizzard memes. Gamers couldn’t understand why a company like Blizzard would backstab its own fans.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the run for Blizzard when it came to making fans hate the company, as it made a number of controversial decisions for its popular IPs in the following years.

Blizzard has disappointed Diablo fans yet again

Diablo 4‘s next expansion has been delayed. (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

If you thought that Diablo Immortal was the absolute rock bottom for the community, it gets worse. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson has confirmed that Diablo 4‘s next expansion won’t hit the shelves until 2026.

It’s great to hear that Blizzard hasn’t abandoned working on the latest Diablo game, but it’s disappointing in the sense that the game’s expansion plans initially involved bringing annual releases.

With Vessel of Hatred debuting back in 2024 and no expansion planned for 2025, it seems like Diablo 4 is already backtracking on the plans it revealed when the game was released.

While it’s sad that 2025 won’t see any new expansion for Diablo 4, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise. In an industry where developers are pushing half-baked products, it seems like Blizzard has learned from the backlash and doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes.

As we wait for the next expansion, there are plenty of seasonal additions coming to Diablo 4. Right now, Season 7 is in full swing after its debut almost a month ago. Called the Season of Witchcraft, it brought new Occult Gems, rewards, and powers to the game alongside balance tweaks.

With that said, do you think Diablo Immortal harmed the ARPG franchise? Let us know in the comments below.