The gaming industry is gradually getting crowded and developers are cranking out innovative ways to boost sales or draw in more simultaneous players. Blizzard is using one of the most unconventional strategies to promote its June 6 release; Diablo IV.
Unlike anything we have ever seen, Blizzard is ready to pay Megan Fox to eulogize the fallen players in Diablo IV. The game’s official Twitter handle shared a video of Fox calling on fans of the game to share videos of their “in-game death on Twitter or TikTok using #DiabloDeaths for a chance to have your eulogy read by @meganfox on June 8”.
Those that have played the game by now would have realized how easy it was to succumb to the legions of The Burning Hells. In 2002, Acclaim Entertainment tried to pull off a similar marketing stunt for “Shadow Man: 2econd Coming”. In that incident, they proposed to use a real-life headstone to advertise their game in exchange for paying for funeral costs. Not everyone loved the idea.
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Although some gamers have questioned the motive of having Megan Fox read out eulogies of players’ deaths, others see it as good fun. In the twenty-one seconds video, Fox was seen standing in what seems like a graveyard with lighted red candles. Looking sultry in black lingerie, she said;
“If there is one thing I love, it’s the sight of blood. In Diablo IV, there are rivers of it. Show me your worst end-game death with hashtag #DiabloDeaths and you might get a eulogy from yours truly telling the world that you went out like a hero… or a chump.”
Megan Fox marketing Diablo IV
The June 6 tweet had 22.3K likes at the time of writing this post. A lot of players have already answered the call with clips of their worst death. It is hard to listen to the frustration in the voices of some of the players.
There is nothing special about dying in Diablo IV
Critics like Rich Stanton that knocked the marketing strategy that Blizzard used for Diablo IV said “Dying in Diablo is nothing special”. Stanton further buttressed his point saying that in games like Callisto Protocol or Dead Space, players have to watch the horrific ripping apart of their character when they fail.
In Diablo IV, the character just fades away with a pop-up window notifying you that “You’re dead”. The entire scene happens so fast that there is often no emotional connection between the player and the character—except the frustration of wasted time. The top-down camera angle doesn’t help too.
Therefore, having Ms. Fox read out eulogies to immortalize characters that don’t evoke emotions in players feels entirely pointless. Perhaps, Blizzard has set aside a huge marketing budget for Diablo 4, and with the success of the game so far, is willing to blow away the cash on logic-defying stunts.
Diablo IV set a new record as Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest-selling game
While critics may fault Blizzard’s marketing strategy, it appears to have yielded results—numbers don’t lie, do they? In just four days after early access, players have cumulatively enjoyed the game for over 93 million hours (equivalent to over 10,000 years).
Diablo IV has also become Blizzard’s highest pre-launch unit sales on both PC and console. The game features cross-platform play as well as cross-progression across different consoles as well as up to 4-player co-op.
“This is a moment years in the making for the Diablo IV team,” said the general manager of Diablo, Rod Fergusson. “We’re extremely proud to offer players the richest story ever told in the Diablo game. Since its first announcement in 2019, the support from millions of players across the globe drove us toward this release of our dark vision of Sanctuary.”
Diablo IV was set five decades after the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. It begins with the summoning of the Daughter of Hatred, Lilith, back to the mortal realm of Sanctuary. The land is now crawling with horrific creatures. The fate of the world lies in the ability of the bravest souls to stand against the threat of chaos.
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Diablo IV allows players to customize their gameplay experience in any direction they deem appealing. Players are also encouraged to experiment with skill trees to “showcase complimenting spells and abilities” as they battle to restore Sanctuary to its citizens.
Even after completing the main story, Blizzard encourages players to keep going with a variety of end-game activities that helps the player to gain more formidable powers. There are already talks about an expansion to the game.
Do you fancy Megan Fox reading a eulogy to your Diablo IV character? Will you or have you already submitted your worst death? We would love to hear your opinion. Use the comment box below.
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