10 Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2022
4. Diablo Immortal
For a little while, it looked like Diablo Immortal could be the biggest redemption story of the year.
Blizzard’s mobile spin-off was infamously criticised when it was first announced - not helped by the company’s own arrogant assertions that fans should shut up and be happy with the franchise’s move to phones - but the end product seemed solid. When fans finally installed the free-to-play title this year, they were impressed by the excellent visuals, addictive gameplay loop and wealth of content.
But then, the grind set in, and it was clear that once you hit the twenty-hour mark, Diablo Immortal was an over-monetised mess.
Hiding some of the more nefarious business practices until the late game, it became apparent that Blizzard was pushing fans to microtransactions at every turn to skip the grind, and keep the progression going. Even worse, it seemed as though high-paying players were incentivised by pay-to-win systems that gave them an edge in PVP battles.
This huge disappointment led to a barrage of review-bombing crusades, and rightly so. Blizzard was so close to having something special, but ultimately gave into greed at the last hurdle.