Immortal received mixed reviews, with praise for its combat, graphics, and the adaption of Diablo to mobile, while criticism targeted the plot, voice acting, and the game's focus on microtransactions.

Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play[2][3] massively multiplayer online (MMO) action role-playing game (ARPG),[4][5][6] designed initially for play on mobile devices.

[7] Unlike previous games in the Diablo series, mana and other class-specific resources have been removed from Immortal, in favor of a cooldown-based system for skills (with typical cooldown times ranging from 8–12 seconds).

[29] The "attackers" are charged with—in order—destroying three "Sacred Guardians", escorting at least one of two "Zealous Idols", and destroying the other team's "Ancient Heart", with a separate time limit for each phase.

[39] They learn from recurring Diablo character Deckard Cain that they must locate and destroy shards of the Worldstone across the world of Sanctuary in order to prevent a world-threatening disaster,[39][16] masterminded by the game's initial antagonist Skarn, the "Lord of Damnation.

[7] The game was first announced during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon in November 2018,[66][67] where the release platforms were confirmed as Android and iOS,[13] with cross-platform play and progression carry-over between the two.

Additional details confirmed in the post included that the game would feature six playable classes (Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard) and chargeable, class-specific 'ultimate' abilities.

[69] At the start of August 2020, at ChinaJoy, Blizzard and NetEase released a new gameplay trailer for Immortal, showcasing each of the six playable classes, and featuring the first appearance of Baal, one of the main antagonists from Diablo II and its expansion, Lord of Destruction.

In further February 2021 interviews, development team members stated that although they remained focused on mobile platforms, they were "not necessarily going to block" efforts by others to emulate it on other devices.

[80] A closed beta version of Immortal launched on October 28, 2021, with an intended duration of "just under three months",[48] solely for Android players in Australia and Canada (expanding in the weeks after to Korea, Japan, and China).

This promotion featured a limited-time spicy garlic cheeseburger and a giveaway of three t-shirts with a chibi-style cartoon of in-game enemy "The Butcher" (drawn by manga artist Bkub Okawa).

[104][105][106][107] Four days later, it was announced that the game's release in Asia-Pacific markets (originally scheduled for June 23, 2022)[108] would be delayed for developers to "[make] a number of optimization adjustments,"[102][109][110] including "support for a wider range of models and devices ... experience, network and performance optimisations, and more.

[117] On the first two days of release, Immortal was first place in the country's iOS video game downloads,[118] with some players on popular regional servers experienced queues of over 5,000 people.

"[42][122] In the following month, Blizzard also added a means for players to earn "Telluric Pearls:" a new resource for crafting 5-star legendary gems without making in-game purchases.

"[124][51] This update also introduced the option for players to re-customize the appearance of their characters,[124] plus additional "Hell" difficulty levels (tied more closely to Paragon and Helliquary progression systems).

[126] Described as a "vanquisher of vampires" and "a mid-range class ... specializing in the polearm weapon type," the Blood Knight was based upon characters established in lore from the original Diablo.

[13][135][136] They expressed their discontent through online channels, likening Immortal to a "reskin" of prior NetEase games, such as Crusaders of Light and Endless of God.

Two particular questions leveled at Wyatt Cheng, Principal Game Designer at Blizzard, drew significant attention from media and audiences alike, with one attendee asking if the announcement was an "out of season April Fools' joke",[138][139] and another asking if there was a possibility for a PC release, leading to the crowd booing when the answer was negative.

[64] They also addressed a rumor that they had withheld announcement of a main Diablo sequel due to the negative response at Immortal's reveal:"First off we want to mention that we definitely hear our community.

[144][145][146][147][148] Later in November 2018, newly-appointed Blizzard president, J Allen Brack, thanked fans for their feedback, because it showed their love for the franchise:[133] "I think it's clear there's a lot of players who are eager for more Diablo PC and console content.

[136][11][149] Mashable, for example, described the game as "a lot of fun" and praised its visual style compared to Diablo III,[136] while GameSpot and VentureBeat cited its many unknown factors (especially how its business model would work, which Blizzard was unable to confirm at the time) as one of the biggest areas of concern.

[149][150] Some writers expressed approval for its controls,[11][28][136] its interface having been tested by prior NetEase games,[28] although Polygon noted difficulties with the precision aiming of abilities,[11] and Kotaku felt it to be "occasionally slow to respond.

"[28] Multiple writers felt that where Immortal captured the series' look and feel, it omitted some of its core tenets,[11][28] or as Polygon put it, Diablo's "soul".

[39] IGN made specific callout of the fact that, despite Immortal being a free-to-play game, there were no core gameplay elements (such as missions, character progression, or loot items) which required players to spend money.

[151] Nick Rego of IGN also praised the beta's improvements over the alpha and its similarity to prior Diablo games, but also noted that "it'll only run as good as the phone you're playing it on, and in-game microtransactions may make you feel like you're missing out on some truly great items.

"[152] Cam Shea of IGN also praised Immortal's controller support, but noted that it was at odds with the game's strength that, by being mobile, "it can fit into your life wherever you want it to.

"[166] A number of others expressed mixed or uncertain feelings regarding the game's business model (especially in comparison with some other free-to-play mobile titles) at their time of writing.

[169][170] Criticism targeted the use of microtransactions, with players noting it became increasingly harder to progress through the later stages of the game without paying real-world money, and accused it of being "pay-to-win".

[174] The required costs were primarily attributed to the game's highest-level legendary gems not being able to be earned by free-to-play players, while the paid process to obtain them was noted by Eurogamer as "randomised and often exceedingly rare".

[184][185] The website cited the "predatory pay-to-win system", exploiting "gambling addiction" and "unrewarding gameplay" as the key reasons for the decision, concluding that "we cannot in good faith continue to cover this game".