Diablo IV is now Blizzard’s fastest-selling game of all time
by Danny Craig
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Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard has stated that the game is now the fastest-selling game in the company's history based on the number of hours players have put into the game since its June 6 release, with an early access period beginning four days prior.
The details:
- Blizzard revealed in a new press release that since the game's early access period began on June 1 for Deluxe and Ultimate edition owners, players have accumulated more than 93 million hours of playtime, equivalent to more than 10,000 years. The studio put the figure in context, stating that it is roughly a single person "playing 24 hours a day since the beginning of human civilization." So far, the game has been well received by players, who have praised it for its satisfying combat and gameplay loop.
- It not only revealed the impressive playtime figures, but it also claimed that it is the fastest-selling game it has ever released, though no data was provided to support this claim. The previous record was set by World of Warcraft's Shadowlands expansion, which sold 3.7 million units on its first day of release. Diablo IV's predecessor, Diablo III, sold 3.5 million copies immediately after release, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time at the time.
- According to general manager Rod Fergusson, Diablo IV will be supported "for years to come," with Blizzard already working on two expansions for the game. These major expansions will not only add new gameplay content but will also expand on the game's story, which will also be developed via free seasonal updates as part of the title's live-service structure.
More Activision Blizzard news:
- As part of its pursuit of the publisher, Microsoft may withdraw Activision's operations from the UK. The merger was blocked in April by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which claimed it would give Microsoft too much control over the cloud gaming market. Microsoft has since appealed the decision. If the CMA's ruling is not reversed, Microsoft may relocate its operations to mainland Europe and serve the UK through a distributor.
- Activision is scheduled to appear at Summer Game Fest on June 8, but it is unclear what it plans to reveal. Due to its recent cease-and-desist orders to fan projects SM2 and X Labs, some fans speculate that the publisher may reveal something related to its older Call of Duty titles, such as a remastered collection.