Select members of the public are now able to get their hands on a preview of Diablo Immortal, the mobile spin-off of Blizzard’s popular Diablo series. The technical alpha is limited to Australian players who pre-registered for testing through the Google Play store. Spots in the alpha will be assigned based on how early players signed up, provided their devices meet the minimum requirements.
The purpose of the technical alpha is to test server stability and game performance across a wider range of devices, but also for Blizzard to get wider feedback on the way the game plays. Blizzard is anticipating a few thousand players will participate in the alpha, which will run for a few weeks as the team collects data from players.
Despite being a mobile spin-off, Diablo Immortal still intends to tell a story within the universe, with its narrative sitting in between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. While the game will launch with six playable classes–Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, and Necromancer–the technical alpha will only include four of these, with the other two not quite ready for public play.
Diablo Immortal has already been subject to a lot of fan criticism since it was announced in 2018, with many players preferring a new full PC or console game that furthers the main story. However Blizzard has promised that the free-to-play game won’t be predatory or pay to win, saying in a blog post that “all the story, all the classes, and as much gameplay as you want,” will be free, and that paid content will only be cosmetic or “or serve to complement gameplay.”
Despite the fan reaction, Blizzard has said that Diablo Immortal is just a part of a wider mobile strategy, so players can expect to see more mobile spinoffs from the studio. Diablo Immortal doesn’t have a set release date yet.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
