It seems that gamers will never be free of the bane of microtransactions, as companies continue to generate massive revenue from such purchases. There is perhaps no better example of this than Blizzard’s action role-playing dungeon crawler Diablo IV, which has reportedly earned over US$150 million from microtransactions alone.
This information comes from senior product manager Harrison Froeschke, specifically via his LinkedIn profile’s job description section. His account has since been removed from public viewing, but not before a screenshot taken by Game Pressure was circulated online.
In his description, Froeschke notes leading the “monetisation strategy of the store cosmetics, pricing, bundle offers, personalised discounts, and roadmap planning which have driven over US$150 million [microtransaction] lifetime revenue”. He also reveals just how much the game has made in total, stating a lifetime revenue of over US$1 billion.
The data implies that 15 percent of Diablo IV’s revenue comes from microtransactions. This arises from Platinum, the game’s premium currency, which comes in bundles ranging from US$4.99 to US$149.99 for 500 and 18,500 Platinum respectively. Like most game releases in recent years, Battle Pass tiers are also available from US$9.99 to US$24.99.
Diablo IV has a tumultuous history when it comes to its microtransactions, notably its controversial horse armour bundles and armour sets that can cost up to US$28 each, although this has ultimately failed to stem the tide of players eager to empty their wallets.
Diablo IV is set to receive its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, on 8 October 2024. No doubt this DLC will also be released with a slew of microtransactions of its own, enabling Blizzard to further milk its cash cow.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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