In that sense, it’s a very “simple” upgrade. Very little has been changed from the original release which will likely be music to the ears of the most hardcore Diablo 2 fans, resistant to change. But from a gameplay perspective, it is incredibly faithful, almost to a fault. Visually, it’s a night and day difference between its predecessor, even on the Switch. Therefore, this is an example of live service metrics interfering with gameplay design.Diablo 2: Resurrected is a remaster simultaneously complex, and also incredibly simple. This could also explain the recent nerfs for various classes. The Diablo 2 Producer believes Blizzard slowed down teleportation time to maximize play time, even if it only leads to a few more seconds of gameplay. His experience as a developer allows him to provide a unique insight into potential reasons behind certain decisions. They had a target time goal they had to meet through nerfs and timers.Īnalytics and live service metrics to max profits ruins gameplay. It was done to milk seconds of play time. It makes no sense to slow down the teleports out of dungeons in Diablo 4. Furthermore, he went on to claim that live service metrics for profits ruin gameplay. “You make bad design decisions to milk the money.”Īccording to Mark Kern, developers can fix these issues to keep the community engaged, but this is also part of the live service model.Ĭonstant changes ensure that players continue to return to the games, hoping that updates make it more appealing for the player base. The Producer pointed out that games should be released in a completed state, but that is not the most profitable outcome.

You make deliberate bad design decisions to milk the money/keep active users high. However, many companies like PlayStation continue to pursue the genre as an important part of the industry’s future. Why it matters: Despite its popularity, the live service genre has proven to be controversial. Mark Kern, the Diablo 2 Producer, has also shared his opinion after the recent outcry.Īccording to the former Diablo developer, live service games make bad decisions on purpose for maximum profits. The recent patch introduced nerfs to various classes, leading to a wave of review bombs on Metacritic. However, the game has recently faced backlash for various decisions. This helped it become the fastest-selling Blizzard game. Diablo 4 received impressive reception from critics and the general public. The Diablo franchise returned to the gaming industry last month.

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