Hearthstone is already available for smartphones and tablets, and over the summer, Activision announced a partnership with Tencent to create a new free-to-play mobile Call of Duty game to release exclusively in China. It’s also the latest such move from Activision Blizzard to translate its properties to mobile. Just this year, Fortnite and PUBG Mobile both brought their respective battle royale experiences to touch devices, and while Diablo Immortal is a new entry rather than a port, it’s just another example of a high-profile game going portable. Going Mobileĭiablo Immortal ‘s transformation into a touchscreen affair clearly bothered many fans of the 22-year-old franchise, but Diablo is hardly unique in its shift from PCs and consoles to mobile devices. Here’s how Blizzard’s next big esports push could be based around smartphones and tablets. A larger Blizzard push into mobile-paired with its connections to Chinese mobile giant Tencent and a desire to own its esports-could help establish mobile esports scenes that complement those built around its PC experiences.

Īnd all of those properties have thriving esports scenes. The company has one of the most enviable stables of original IPs in the games industry, including StarCraft, Warcraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch. That won’t stop the company, however: Diablo Immortal is still coming, and beyond that, executive producer Allen Adham said during a BlizzCon press conference that Blizzard is working on mobile versions of all of its intellectual properties.

It looks like classic Diablo, but the reception was largely negative-fans wanted a new PC game instead, and the backlash sent Activision Blizzard’s stock tumbling in the days after the announcement. Dota 2, Fortnite, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legends, Overwatch, PUBG Mobile, World of WarcraftĪnnounced at BlizzCon this month, Diablo Immortal is a completely new, mobile-exclusive extension of the popular PC action role-playing franchise from Activision Blizzard and mobile developer NetEase Games.

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