'Blizzard Sacrificed the Two of Them'; Diablo 4's Disastrous Presentation
The recent Diablo 4 demonstration took an unexpected turn. Players flayed Blizzard, which delegated developers who didn't really know how to present the new features.
From time to time, Blizzard releases footage showing Diablo IV fans something from behind the scenes. The latest show as part of the Adventure with a Dev series, where the developers talk about their work while playing, garnered a slew of negative comments and cast doubt on the direction the game is heading.
Blizzard under fire
The latest video shows gameplay from the Zakar's Beflry dungeon. It features two female developers - Dini McMurry and Josey Meyers, who are responsible for the design of the dungeon.
Although at first glance the ladies don't seem to be saying anything controversial in their video, fans were quick to point out that both McMurry and Meyers.... don't know how to play Diablo 4.
Commenters were quick to point out that they are not using their characters' skills effectively:
"I understand that not everyone on the development team has to be an expert on the game, but I would expect at least that all of them have a basic knowledge of how the game works in order to do their jobs properly. This spam of basic attacks was so painful to watch that it was like someone trying to cut a steak with a spoon. Basic skills recharge resources, basic skills deal damage. This can be learned 15 minutes after the game starts. It's the company's responsibility to train their employees to have basic knowledge of the product they are working with, it's just common sense," wrote user Raqdoll
As if that weren't enough, the fact that developers can't play their own game has led players to an uninteresting conclusion:
"Now everything makes sense. The designers have no idea how to play their own game. I can't wait to get back to hiring real players to develop games. This video single-handedly killed all remaining hope I had for future seasons. You have lost it [ed. note - my respect], Blizzard, because you clearly lost yourselves a long time ago," wrote The Shizzo.
The video was such a dud that some commenters began to sympathize with the two developers who had to appear in it. One commenter stated that Blizzard had "sacrificed them," or "set them up to be shot."
Blizzard has not yet responded to this PR mishap. The fact is that you don't have to be an expert on a game, even participating in the development process, but the bad aftertaste remains, especially considering Blizzard's many not-so-successful moves with Diablo 4 (although it must be admitted that the company is trying to salvage the situation, announcing and releasing further updates).
