- The former Blizzard boss wanted to cut down on Diablo 4 microtransactions before the Xbox takeover.
- Mike Ybarra also wanted to pivot away from the company’s live service model.
- Diablo 4, despite its overpriced microtransactions, has gone on to make over $150 Million in revenue.
Diablo 4 is one of the most successful games in the franchise. It launched to a mixed reception from fans, who liked the overall game but were disappointed in the numerous microtransactions and bugs at the time.
However, the microtransactions scenario could have turned out a lot differently if Xbox hadn’t acquired Blizzard. Before being acquired, the former Blizzard president was reportedly pushing to cut down on the microtransactions from Diablo 4.
Why it matters: Diablo 4 is notorious for some of the worst-priced microtransactions. There are cosmetic skins that can run up to $25 on top of the price you pay for the actual game.
In Jason Schreier’s recently published book about Blizzard (via PCGamer), he went into detail about what happened at the company as it was on the verge of being acquired by Xbox. Interestingly, its former president, Mike Ybarra, wanted a change in the company’s business model.
Ybarra not only wanted to cut down the microtransactions from Diablo 4 but also wanted an Overwatch reboot before leaving the company. However, this decision made him highly unpopular with the developers but could’ve stirred well with the fans.
Despite this, Diablo 4 has since gone on to make over $150 Million in revenue just from the microtransactions. It would’ve been really interesting to see how things could’ve turned out if Ybarra had stayed at the studio.
The decision to release an Overwatch reboot would also have been fascinating. Overwatch 2 hasn’t sat too well with fans. It was a major letdown for many, considering the original game won the Game of the Year award in 2016.
Blizzard employees during his tenure reportedly hated Mike Ybarra. He was the person who brought the developers back to offices after years of remote work and wanted Blizzard to ‘Pivot away from the live service model’.
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News Reporter
Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.
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