After more than two months of waiting and debate, the players of Blizzard Games' national server finally failed to wait for the miracle to appear. After midnight on January 24, all the Blizzard game domestic versions, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch: Return and Hearthstone, have officially entered a suspension state. The specific time for the server to be reopened is still unknown.
For players, because there is sufficient buffering time in advance, when the moment of server suspension really comes, many people may not have much emotional fluctuations in their hearts. There is naturally reluctance to give up. You can see that many players spontaneously go online and take photos with the game before the server is discontinued. But after all, as long as the people who play games together are still there, there is actually not much difference in what games they play. Coupled with the bad work that Blizzard had done before the suspension of service, it made the suspension of service no longer seem so sad.
Of course, some people choose to let themselves go completely
After this, players have to face a more realistic problem, that is, since Blizzard’s game is gone, where should these former Blizzard players go now?
In fact, many players have already started their Internet wandering plan as early as when Blizzard and NetEase announced their breakup. For example, some anchors who once made a living mainly by Blizzard Games, after learning that the game was about to be discontinued, in addition to continuing to broadcast live until the last moment of closing the server, they had to start thinking about broadcasting some other games in order to maintain their popularity. For example, some Hearthstone anchors will regard the newly launched "Seven Saints Summoning" gameplay of "Genshin Impact" as a substitute for "Heartstone", while some anchors who mainly play "World of Warcraft" will consider MMORPGs that are also popular in China like "Final Fantasy 14".
Heartstone anchor Valilla is now a loyal "Seven Saints Summons" player
As for ordinary players, there will naturally be more choices. Except for a few people who choose to "run" directly to Blizzard Games international server, most players will still choose to find other games as "substitutes" for Blizzard Games. And this group of players soon became the target of the major domestic manufacturers now scramble to flatter. A battle to grab players among the Blizzard game players has already begun in secret.
This behavior may have been spontaneously organized by players. For example, as early as a month or two ago, posts with the theme of "Receiving Warcraft Refugees" were once popular in Baidu's posts such as "Sword Net 3 Bar" and "Fierce Battle 2 Bar". In addition to opening the door to warmly welcome Warcraft refugees, players of these games have also produced quite detailed beginner guides for them, which shows their attention.
After that, manufacturers also began to join the "receive refugees" campaign. The most powerful one is NetEase, which was ruthlessly stabbed by Blizzard in the breakup incident. In order to make this noise, NetEase first created a "Warcraft Veteran Service" in its own game "Against the Cold".It has launched many weapon skins that look like you know what it is "salute" at a glance. Later, as the manufacturer with the most card game IPs in China, NetEase also joined forces with its many card games including "Harry Potter: Magic Awakening", "Yu-Gi-Gi-Dull Link" to create a "NetEase Strategy Card New Year's Annual Meeting". After this operation, NetEase has both made excitement and earned back the reputation of players, which is really a win.
Since NetEase has taken action, its old rival Tencent will naturally not miss this opportunity. The MMO online game "Tares World", known as the "domestic Warcraft", is a new work launched by Tencent to participate in the battle for Warcraft refugees. At first glance, the game does have a strong "Warcraft" flavor, but judging from the current evaluation of players participating in the test, the name "domestic Warcraft" is obviously not something that any game can afford.
In addition to relying on new games to grab users, what is unexpected is that some old games that have long been discontinued have also taken advantage of the opportunity of Blizzard Game to meet players again. For example, NetEase's "Secret Realm Duel", which has been out of service for more than a year, is a card game that is in line with Hearthstone in terms of gameplay, while another game "Endless War Zone" can be regarded as a 3D action MOBA game to replace Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch: Return.
In this increasingly chaotic battle to grab people, the one who has received the least impact may be the players of the "Diablo" series. On the one hand, although the Chinese server "Diablo 3" has been stopped, players can still continue to play this work on the console platform. "Diablo 4" which will be released in June this year, for most players, they can also play the console version of the game as soon as it is released. On the other hand, the mobile game "Diablo: Immortal" jointly developed by NetEase and Blizzard is not included in the list of the discontinued games this time. In other words, players can still play this game normally in the future. Currently, the most authentic "Dark Like" mobile game on the market, and there is no need to worry that it will suddenly stop running.
When it comes to "Diablo: Immortal", many players who are not fans of the "Diablo" series may still be left with the classic "Do you don't have mobile phones?" But the reality is that since the game was officially launched, many old "dark" players who originally only took a wait-and-see attitude have now been transformed into loyal fans by them. The global download volume in the first week of the game's launch reached 6.85 million times. Five months after it was launched, its revenue has easily exceeded US$300 million. After the national server was launched on July 25 last year, it also ranked on the top 10 domestic game best-selling list. In addition, Diablo Immortal was nominated for Best Mobile Game at this year's TGA Annual Awards Ceremony.
All of the above facts prove that Diablo: Immortal has a super high popularity and money-making ability around the world. Whether for beginners orFor veteran players in the series, the game content of "Diablo: Immortal" is solid and the experience is excellent. In the current era of mobile games that emphasize fragmented and fast-paced experience, it has helped the IP "Diablo" to complete the transition from PC games to mobile games. It not only retains the iconic and core equipment-driven gameplay of the "Dark" series, but also combines the characteristics of the fragmented experience of mobile games, allowing more new generation players to easily get started.
From the perspective of an old player in the series, "Diablo: Immortal" can be regarded as a mobile game that restores the characteristics of the "Diablo" series of games in its original flavor. The game provides a rich variety of professions and equipment systems, as well as a large number of dungeon copies, waiting for players to challenge. Different from the mobile games that were previously under the banner of "Dark Like" but were actually just a skin-changing MMORPG, "Diablo: Immortal" not only restores the consistent unique dark art style of the "Dark" series in terms of picture performance, but also does its best to achieve a high degree of consistency with the original "Dark" series in terms of content gameplay. At the same time, "Diablo: Immortal" is a self-developed product by NetEase and will not reach the end of Blizzard Games.
Although it seems that it is just a "brush" game that repeatedly kills monsters and picks up equipment, the effect combinations and damage bonuses between different equipment, as well as various random equipment affixes, are essentially the key to the success of the "Dark LIke" mobile game. "Diablo: Immortal" does restore this game's characteristics using a design idea that is more in line with the mobile game experience. It not only has a set of its own system, a complete and mature numerical system, which allows players to actively think about which set of equipment, talents and skills to use to build, which can help them maximize the efficiency of monster brushing. Moreover, for mobile players' gaming habits, a large number of randomly refreshed equipment entries, and professional skills effects changed according to equipment, etc., these changes in content mechanisms also allow new players who are accustomed to the fast-paced mobile game play mode to experience the fun of the "Dark" series in a short time.
And this is just the surprise that Diablo Immortal initially brought to players. After two major version content updates within half a year, the game has also shown more sincerity and more mature game design concepts for players than the original version.
For example, in the last major version of "Shadow of the Moon", the game made a major change to the equipment system that was highly praised by players. Not only did it allow players to obtain 100% orange equipment after completing the Hradim drawing task for the first time every day, but it also increased the treasure chest reward for the reward task. Players can also exchange extra green equipment for designated suits. Although these changes seem inconspicuous, they double the fun they bring to players. After all, as a equipment-driven game, a richer equipment choice is always one of the core driving forces that encourage players to continue playing.
ThisIn addition, the game has also significantly changed the "forced social" mechanism that was originally criticized by players, and has canceled the teaming restrictions on the Demon Challenge Dun, allowing players to experience a more pure single-player adventure like they did in the "Diablo" series in the past.
No doubt, these innovations and improvements that truly "everything is for players" have brought good player reputation to "Diablo: Immortal" and further improved the quality of the game. In the upcoming new version of the game Spring Festival, this concept will be further implemented through rich New Year activities.
In the update of the Spring Festival version, the game will first bring five New Year benefits to players, namely the "New Year benefits" that players can receive as long as they log in at the specified nine nodes, the "Driving Demons" activity that can obtain benefits for up to seven days by completing the dungeons, the "Blessing Burst" activity that collects "Blessings" activities that gather "Blessings" activities, and the "Red Envelopes" activities that give friends "New Year red envelopes" activities, and the "Lucky Enjoyment" activities that provide adventurers with discounts and free orders. Players only need to complete these tasks in the corresponding activity interface to obtain rich New Year benefits.
In addition, the Spring Festival activities are naturally indispensable for exquisite fashion with traditional Chinese cultural elements. This time, "Diablo: Immortal" also added the New Year fashion called "Divine Beast Blood" for the first time in the Spring Festival version. Each profession has its own unique fashion style. In terms of design, these fashions also fully incorporate representative elements in Chinese traditional culture, highlighting the characteristics of the national style and echoing the atmosphere of the New Year!
The so-called beginning of the new year, everything will be updated. Diablo: Immortality also brings players a new "Ancestor's Road" challenge in this Spring Festival update. Adventurers who complete the challenge will receive generous rewards including fashion - Wasteland Wanderers, Legendary Gems, Legendary Equipment, Enhanced Immortal Keystones, etc. If there is exactly what you like, don't miss this opportunity to get them.
Of course, we have said so much before, about how various game manufacturers take in Blizzard game refugees, "Diablo: Immortal" also expressed full sincerity to these former "compatriots". The game will not only open new special servers for players of these Blizzard other games in the new version of the Spring Festival, but will also bring exclusive newcomer gift packages to newcomers who enter these servers.
Finally, as players, we certainly don't want the games we loved for many years to leave us in such a sudden and absurd way. No matter how many outrageous decisions Blizzard has made today, it is undeniable that those Blizzard games, which were once called "must be boutique", have brought so many beautiful and precious memories to generations of players.
But after all, the person who made the mistake this time is not the player, so of course we have the right to be sad and also to be entitled to be sad.Good expresses anger. Blizzard may have been a game company that was admired by countless players, but now that time has changed, everything is no longer the same as before.
Just as it says in the game, the kingship has no eternity, not to mention that Blizzard has never become the "king" in the eyes of players in the true sense.
