Diablo Immortal Crossplay - What You Need to Know

Diablo Immortal Crossplay – everything you need.

The Diablo Immortal release date has been unveiled in a new announcement. And it confirmed that the 30th June placeholder was, in fact, just that. But there was more to the announcement than just the release date, with Blizzard revealing in a blog post that a PC port of the app game is also en route.

Blizzard confirmed the Diablo Immortal release date in a tweet that read: “On June 2, Hell is everywhere.” With that came the revelation that the title will release (as expected) on iOS & Android, alongside a PC Open Beta.

But why take what was initially a controversial move to the mobile app gaming sphere and bring it straight back to its original platform? Well, Blizzard answered that question in a blog post that detailed their exact thought process: it wasn’t always the intention, but they decided to get ahead of the inevitable emulation.

“The decision to develop Diablo Immortal for PC was one that the team went back and forth on for a large part of the development process. On one hand, we felt that we wouldn’t be doing the title justice by releasing a game originally designed for mobile on PC; on the other hand, we wanted to make sure the game reached as many players as possible—especially our most dedicated PC fans. In the end, the deciding factor was that we knew many of you would attempt to play this game through an emulator, thus leading us towards building a better experience.”

They are, of course, not wrong. Emulators are a staple among PC gamers looking to play some of the best app games or games designed for handheld devices such as Pokémon. And by simply porting Diablo Immortal to PC in an official capacity, Blizzard can ensure that the diehard fans of the Diablo franchise get a fully functioning experience.

But let’s not forget that doing so will also fatten Blizzard’s wallet significantly. Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play game with micro-transactions, a notoriously lucrative model. And increasing the audience by porting it to extra platforms is a savvy move, even if it might draw the ire of PC purists who would much rather a bonafide PC-exclusive sequel.

However, Blizzard are keen to maximize the potential of multiple platforms by offering full cross-play and cross-progression capabilities. And fans of the earlier titles are also being catered for by replicating the original PC control scheme (such as left-clicking to move) as much as possible, despite it being initially designed for mobile devices.

Either way, the multi-platform release is a net positive for series fans. Especially those who will make the most of the cross-progression system, allowing them to play Diablo games at all possible times.

Pre-registrations are still open ahead of the Diablo Immortal crossplay release date. So be sure to capitalize on them by heading over to the official site and registering your interest.