How Much is the Diablo Video Game Franchise Worth?

The Diablo franchise has sold nearly 100 million copies throughout the series. It has been a hit since it was first released on December 31 of 1996. The hack and slash action kept players enthralled in the action role-playing game that is easy to throw yourself into. Blizzard North was the developer and it was released to the public by Blizzard Entertainment. It lets players take full control of the main character that fights through multiple obstacles and foes in an attempt to rid the Kingdom of Khanduras of Diablo, also known as the Lord of Terror.

A long and prosperous run for Diablo

Diablo kept gamers entertained and the demand was high for the game shortly after its release. It was followed up with the Diablo: Hellfire expansion pack that was released by Sierra Entertainment in 1997. The following year, Diablo was released for the PlayStation console by Electronic Arts. Climax Studios developed the PS controller that allowed direct control of the Hero, which was well received by PlayStation owners. The game had caught on so well that it called for two sequels. Diablo II was released in 2000 and it was followed by Diablo III which was made available in 2012. The game has continued to be popular and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its original release, The Darkening of Tristam, a special version was created in Diablo III as a new quest and was released in the first part of 2017. The game could be played in both single-player or multiplayer modes.

Breakdown of Blizzard's successes with Diablo video games

The original version of the game, simply called Diablo sold over 30 million copies as of May of 2018. Diablo II sold 17 million copies and the Lord of Destruction expansion pack sold for Diablo II sold an amazing 17.5 million. Diablo III sold 30 million copies of the game. It's estimated that 3.5 million copies were sold within the first 24 hours of its release with 12 million sold during the first 12 months. Diablo was released by Blizzard Entertainment in North America and by Ubi Soft in Europe, with a later release date in November of 1997. It was made for a variety of platforms including PlayStation, Classic Mac OS, and Microsoft Windows.

Drawing power of the game

Enthusiasts of the action role-playing genre with hack and slash were thrilled with the responsive character and cool fluid graphics. Mouse controlled movements allow interaction with the environment with special abilities including spell casting, acquisition of special items, learning new spells and combating enemies in a series of dungeon levels makes Diablo an exciting series of adventures and challenges. Random generation of dungeon levels which include quests with varying levels of difficulty and diverse environments allow players to build skills with each new level defeated in preparation to move on to the next. Health, manna and restoration potions make allow the character to gain strength to continue in the quest. Objects within the possession of the hero may also be restored with their durability increased for greater success in battles against foes.

Diablo video games marketing

Blizzard expected the games to sell somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 copies of the game throughout the various formats and editions. Blizzard marketing staff ensured that the game received good press coverage prior to its release. The team raised its estimate to 500,000. It achieved 450,000 in pre-orders alone. The game launched and ranked as #1 in sales on the sales charts for PC Data's January of 1997 list. It held on to the number one position for three months until it was surpassed by X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter. By the end of year one over 670,000 copies in the U.S with 1 million copies sold worldwide with an average U.S. selling price of $36 per unit. By 1998, over 2 million units were sold globally and in 1999, the number of copies sold in the U.S. alone was 1.7 million copies. It continued to be in demand with 1.3 million copies sold by the Spring of 2000, and over 260,000 were PC versions. By 2001, more than 2.5 million Diablo games were sold.

Conclusion

Diablo is still a popular action role-playing video game that recently made a comeback with a new quest in 2017. It celebrated its 20th year in video gaming and is still bringing in profits for. The total sales far surpassed the initial expectations of the developer and the Diablo franchise. It has been a global sensation that has sold more than 2.5 million more games. Activision bought out shares in Blizzard in 2008 and became the fifth largest gaming company in the global industry. The total assets of the company are estimated at $56 billion in USD for 2018.