The recent controversy involving Blizzard’s forced decision to suspend Hong-Kong based e-sports champion Ng Wai Chung for speaking out in favour of Hong-Kong’s current unrest during a post-match, has sparked a mass discussion of the company’s ethics and overall image.
As fans of the publisher’s games old and new take their grievances to social media, questions have been raised regarding how Blizzard can fix their broken image. Can Blizzard potentially redeem themselves with the implementation of their recently announced seasonal structure for Diablo 4?
Blizzard had previously implemented a seasonal system in older editions of the Diablo franchise, and the same system has been refreshed for the fourth installment. This seasonal model will offer players a new gaming experience that will be split into specific chapters with distinct rewards, powers and legendary weapons.
This allows the developer to craft a narrative full of rewards and events that offer new incentives to players, thus keeping the game fresh and exciting. The seasonal model also creates an atmosphere of competition and pride, which encourages players to compete and gain exclusive rewards.
Furthermore, the developer can show its potential for turning over a new leaf by honoring the developer’s impressive prior investments, whilst still introducing unique and innovative new ideas that will keep its loyal fans satisfied.
Diablo 4’s seasonal model has the potential to provide Blizzard with a much needed publicity boost. The developer’s response to the crisis will ultimately determine the future of the company, and success or failure will depend heavily on Diablo 4’s seasonal model.
Only time will tell how Blizzard will tackle this situation moving forward. However, they would do well to use Diablo 4’s upcoming seasonality and continued investments in developing the franchise to garner some much needed positive press.