Did Blizzard Intentionally Trick Players into Buying the Diablo IV Battle Pass?
Blizzard has come under scrutiny for the launch of Diablo IV season 1, as it was filled with numerous problems that have left players increasingly dissatisfied. One particularly controversial issue involves the accidental activation of the Battle Pass Premium. Streamer Rurikhan showcased in a video how he unintentionally activated the Season 1 Battle Pass Premium simply by navigating to the Season menu. Rurikhan claims that Blizzard purposely placed the “Activate Premium Battle Pass” button near the button used to check Season progress, leading to unintended purchases. Not only are the buttons positioned close to each other, but the cursor defaults to the activation of the Pass, rather than the progress button. This means that a single accidental click is all it takes to purchase the Pass, especially on consoles where the cursor is placed by default. This design has garnered strong criticism, with some even going so far as to label it intentionally misleading.
Famous streamer Rhykker has also joined in the criticism, urging Blizzard to add a confirmation button to prevent such situations.
Blizzard Promises to Fix the Issue Quickly
In response to the backlash, Blizzard has promised to address the UI issue. Adam Fletcher, the director of global community development for Diablo IV, announced that a temporary fix will be implemented. This fix will modify the default selection in the Season tab so that the cursor will no longer be directly on “Activate Battle Pass Premium,” but instead on “Season Journey.” The patch is expected to be released as early as next week. However, players remain skeptical and dissatisfied due to persistent issues in Diablo 4, and it remains to be seen if this fix will be enough to appease them.
Diablo IV: A Success at Launch, But Patches That Annoy Players
Despite the controversies surrounding the Battle Pass issue, Diablo IV had a highly successful launch, attracting over 10 million players in June and becoming Blizzard’s fastest-selling game to date. However, the start of Season 1 was marred by problems. Blizzard now appears determined to address these issues and avoid releasing patches as controversial as the Season 1 patch. Players eagerly anticipate future updates and announcements from Blizzard regarding the game’s future. The publisher has already provided a preview of the fixes coming in the next update, raising hopes for significant improvements to the gaming experience for adventurers in Sanctuary. Diablo IV is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and Xbox One.