Diablo 4, Blizzard’s latest hack-n-slash action RPG, finds itself in a rather strange place despite being a relatively new title. After it’s initial success, Diablo 4’s player count dropped dramatically. However, it has seen some recovery. Or at least the player loss has slowed down.
Diablo 4 is one of Blizzard’s most ambitious titles. Players had some really high expectations. But after some initial success, is Diablo 4 dying?
@ Blizzard
Although the fans like to meme about Diablo 4 being a dead game, it is still going. After all, it did only release a few months ago. There are players enjoying the game and levelling characters through the campaign, but the current state absolutely pales in comparison to the first month of the Diablo 4 release date.
Blizzard kicked off Season 1 with a series of massive nerfs when the game was barely out for a month. This caused many players to either drop out early or begin their first seasonal character feeling a little resentful. The move caused unnecessary friction between the devs and the players, leading to an even greater divide within the community.
Both players and Diablo 4 content creators voiced their concerns on all forms of social media. Streamers like Asmongold, who was initially enjoying the game, began noticing all sorts of issues and became vocal about it. Others followed suit.
Blizzard attempted to remedy the situation through a series of Campfire Chats, where they openly discussed some of the game’s issues and answered questions. Sadly for them, their attempts backfired and added fuel to an already raging fire.
So many players have found issues with the game so it makes sense for people to wonder if the game is dying. The expectations of the game were so high that a lot of people were expecting the best Diablo game ever. So when it fell somewhat short of this, it felt all the worse. But that doesn’t necessarily mean players have already given up.
@ Icy Veins
From the item system to the inventory design, it’s clear work needs to be done on the game. But is Diablo 4 dead in the water? It doesn’t seem so.
According to data provided by Activeplayer.io, there are still over 4 million active players on Diablo 4. Now, that’s a very small number compared to the initial players back in June. But it’s still not an enough to claim that the game is dying.
| Diablo 4 Stats | Number of Players |
|---|---|
| Online players | 160,411 |
| Active players | 4,664,034 |
| Players lost in 30 days | 51,160 |
| Data provided by: | Activeplayer.io |
That being said, the numbers are still going down. It seems safe to say that the team behind Diablo 4 is going to have to make some changes to recover the numbers.
Diablo 4 is a game with a lot of untapped potential. It has smooth combat and character movement, stunning graphics and is set in a dark world of Sanctuary which all Diablo fans love. If all the problems in Diablo 4 were to be fixed, the game might actually stand a chance.
If we compare Diablo 4 to a game such as New World, there are a lot of similarities. New World, much like Diablo 4, had a successful start…until all the flaws came seeping out. The player backlash was immense and the game never managed to fully recover, despite some pretty great updates that followed. This is the fate that awaits Diablo 4.
We believe the game is still alive, but changes are overdue. Blizzard may be able to to fix all the issues and bring back a small portion of the player base.
LOL
CS2
Dota 2
Valorant
Fortnite
Call of Duty
Mobile Games
Gaming
EN Global 
JP 日本語
Diablo 4 has no sense of endgame or real achievement. It feels like a grind without the reward. This has led players to come up with their own imaginative challenges like beating level 100 Andariel with decreasingly mismatched lower level characters. Seasonal stuff also seems pointless without that sense of achievement either. It’s interesting at first when a new mechanic/damage type is introduced, but it quickly fades. It’s a game that is fun, but only in small doses where you play to pass time rather than a long term investment in your character. Players ultimately find better ways to spend their time. Which is why i have not played for several months and not missed it at all.