The fires of Hell are burning bright, as Diablo IV has officially been crowned as Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest-selling game of all time. Less than a week after its release (including four days of early access), the title accumulated over 93 million hours, or 10,000 years of play time.
The fires of Hell burn bright 🔥#DiabloIV is the fastest selling Blizzard game of all-time. pic.twitter.com/L4pdjVnWFE
— Diablo (@Diablo) June 6, 2023
“This is a moment years in the making for the Diablo 4 team,” said Rod Fergusson, Diablo general manager. “We’re extremely proud to offer players the richest story ever told in a Diablo game… Since the game was first announced in 2019, the support from millions of players around the world drove us toward this release of our dark vision of Sanctuary. Hail Lilith, Blessed Mother.”
The claim does come with a caveat, though. As the company hasn’t shared any specific data, it’s unclear how its success stacks up against its other offerings, especially given its recent shift to free-to-play after 2016’s Overwatch. According to the news release, the reported figures include both console and PC sales, but there’s no mention of unit sales or hard dollars, which aligns with industry practices to only divulge playership numbers.
Chances are, the veil of uncertainty will be lifted when Activision Blizzard reports its quarterly performance to investors, likely around September. Diablo IV went live on 6 June (or 5 June, depending on your region), three days after entering early access, and currently has two expansions in the works.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Edwin Teo
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