Mobile spin-off Diablo Immortal has reportedly earned US $525 million in its first year on the market, becoming the 15th-fastest mobile game to cross the US $500 million mark. Per analysis from data.ai, the game has so far earned 22 million downloads worldwide – although this number could be a significant underestimation, as data is not available for third-party marketplaces in China, and it does not include the PC port of the game.
China is reportedly the largest market for Immortal, with 37% of revenue generated in this region. The United States is also significantly contributing to growth, making up around 24% of total revenue.
According to data.ai, interest in this mobile spin-off has remained steady in 2023, with mobile gamers in the US driving an increase in growth.
Read: Diablo Immortal Review – When hell freezes over
How Diablo Immortal cemented its growth
Diablo Immortal‘s long-term success is hardly surprising, as the game was hitting financial milestones on a weekly basis following its launch. Given the absence of a recent mainline Diablo game, it capitalised on its role as a strong bridge for Diablo fans awaiting news of Diablo 4.
It effectively monetised its gameplay loop with snappy dungeon-crawling and fighting, leveraging the franchise’s passionate audience – initially, to the tune of US $1 million in earnings per day. While in-game purchases were not necessary, they proved a worthy temptation for players keen to level up, and gear up.
In the GamesHub review of Diablo Immortal, we noted how this loop engaged players, and encouraged spending with clever tactics: ‘Diablo Immortal is built to keep going forever and sustain your interest the whole time. Whether it be the voice-acted story, grinding for new loot, levelling your Battle Pass, competing in seasonal leaderboards, hanging with friends, or representing your chosen faction, you will probably be like me; hunched over, trying to stay warm playing this game until hell freezes over.’
While concerns about Diablo Immortal‘s microtransactions were rife at the time of launch – given one report suggested US $150,000 was necessary to completely level a character – it appears these complaints have barely had an impact on keen players willing to fork out.
As we head into the next chapter of Diablo Immortal, we’ll likely see the popular mobile spin-off continue to grow at impressive speed.
