Microtransactions in Diablo 4 Could Have Been "Cut Down"

The in-game microtransactions in Diablo IV are definitely a double-edged sword for Blizzard. On the one hand, they have contributed to revenue, reportedly generating more than 150 million dollars for the developer; on the other hand, additional spending is a major source of complaints from players who do not enjoy any form of it.

Despite some backlash regarding the microtransactions, Blizzard chose not to respond and instead let it be. They even remained silent when the pricey Horse bundle made some fans doubt if Blizzard went insane — it costs $65 to buy and is even more expensive than the standard edition of the game, which is $50.

However, the situation could have had a positive turn, as former Blizzard President Mike Ybarra told Jason Schreier, who shared in his new book Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment, that he actually had a plan to “cut down on microtransactions in Diablo 4” before leaving  (first spotted by PC Gamer). Well, of course, the plan didn’t see the light of day. 

Mike Ybarra mentioned that the studio also considered “rebooting Overwatch,” even though he didn’t specify either plan, leaving it a secret that will probably never be shared with anyone anymore. 

After leaving Blizzard in January this year, soon after the massive layoffs that cut 1,900 positions at Activision and Xbox, Mike Ybarra became CEO of the "skill-based daily fantasy sports operator" PrizePicks.

Speaking of Jason Schreier’s new book, which is based on interviews with more than 350 people, it discusses a range of interesting topics, including Blizzard developers pitching an idea of a digital store for PC games that could have been a major rival to Steam, the release of Warcraft 4, Blizzard executives' departures, and more. 

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