Diablo III: Are Blizzard Getting Off Too Lightly?

Dealspwn: " If one considers the history of Diablo, to acknowledge its place as a bastion of singleplayer (or local LAN co-op) magnificence, this always-on internet requirement seems all the more frustrating. There will be those who were looking for a loot grinder to play in all weathers, in all situations, and now that just can't happen. There are reasons, of course, good reasons as Jon has pointed out, and Blizzard should absolutely and unequivocally make the game that they want, but there's a shady side to this as well. True, the connected experience adds much to the game, but the flipside tastes of restrictive DRM, with that touted auction house hovering as a spectral elephant in the room. That's where Blizzard are hoping the real money is, and the only way they'll be able to push that is by keeping online player retention high.

Yet as with most outcries in this industry, the prevalent sense is that none of it matters. Games will continue to be released with crippling bugs, players will continue to moan and bitch before shutting up and handing over their money. The most sinister aspect is what Blizzard's always-on requirement means for forthcoming games. Will this lead to more restrictive measures from triple-A titles and larger publishers, knowing that they can implement whatever the hell they like without fear of repercussions in the sales figures?"

[NYC_Gamer]

I believe Blizzard should have been more prepared for the launch of D3.....D3 should have offline/online optional modes..

[Lucretia]

we wud imagine, blizzard as the richest pc game dev would know how to make Online, know how to stop hacking, know how to make a good game that isnt a stripped down version of its 12 year old sibling diablo 2.

i mean they made WOW, u wud figure they knew how to do online and anti hackers lol.

and yes i know anyone can get hacked but D3 is ridiculous

[Bimkoblerutso]

They are getting off too easy...but the thing is, that's the way all of this has been designed from the get-go. I mean, what do fans do now if they are unsatisfied with a product? There is absolutely no concept of ownership in the market anymore. Once you buy PC games nowadays, that's it. They have your money. There is nowhere to return it, nowhere to resell it, nothing to do with it other than complain fruitlessly to everyone else that's pissed off until the wound heals and all that's left is your money in the hands of the corporate fat-cats.

It's a complete subversion of consumer rights, and it's not going to stop. There is virtually no way to stop it because it's a vicious circle. There is nothing to stop publishers from making false promises or establishing horrible policies because the industry has shifted away from selling products toward now offering a "service". You basically pay publishers for the right to play their games on their terms. You either pay for their crappy service, or...well, you don't play games. And so, (as we are aught to do) gamers usually just end up taking it up the rear.

[SilentNegotiator]

They have your money now. They don't care if your game is interrupted or how much they stripped things down.

And that's ACTIVISION-Blizzard to you.

Between the immortal publishers, suck-up journalists, and apologists....we have no chance.