According to a recent report, an "early build" of Diablo 4 is apparently being used for a "friends and family alpha test."
The report comes from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who wrote on Twitter that "a fun but minor Blizzard fact" he's heard is that "a group of people are currently playing an early build of Diablo 4 via alpha testing between friends and relatives". ”
According to Schreier, "players are under NDA" and therefore can't speak publicly about what they're doing, but adds: "Mostly I hear positive rumours."
Another fun but minor Blizzard tidbit that I haven't seen anywhere yet: A group of people are currently playing an older version of Diablo IV through an alpha test of friends and family. Players are under NDA but I hear mostly positive feedback Aug 3, 2022
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Asked by another Twitter user what he means by "positive" and if it's about gameplay or microtransactions, Schreier notes that he doesn't think microtransactions are actually in the tested version, so these players won't be able to get a monetization indicator. .
The Diablo 4 development team previously said that the game's microtransactions will be limited to "optional cosmetic items and full story-driven expansions." However, it's no surprise that this question is being asked given the furore surrounding Diablo Immortal's approach to microtransactions, which in our review we noted "compromises some of the most important elements of a Diablo game."
Beta wait a little longer(*4*)
For anyone looking to get their hands on Diablo 4 (safe to say, probably a lot of people), this is going to be an unbearable tease. Especially after a beta recently appeared on Battle.net, only for Rod Fergusson (opens in a new tab) to clarify that it was "internal testing only."
Fergusson at least added that Diablo 4 "will have more public testing in the future as we continue on our path to shipping in 2023," so if that's not too anti-Diablo to say, don't give up hope.
In fact, Blizzard has already opened pre-registration for the Diablo 4 beta test (opens in a new tab). We don't know when it will actually start, but you can "sign up now for a chance to be included in future beta tests" to be ready when the date is announced.
If you're really desperate, you can always check out Blizzard's recent offer to bring beta access to dedicated Diablo 4 fans getting permanent tattoos. Ahead of Diablo 4's release next year, the publisher is apparently offering free Diablo-inspired tattoos as part of its Hell's Ink promo campaign for September 10.
As Blizzard shared on Twitter (opens in a new tab), those who attended the first stop in Los Angeles received a card promising access to the upcoming Diablo 4 beta and a free digital copy of the game. in a video game, but Diablo is a pretty hard game.
Diablo 4 does not yet have a firm release date, but it is still expected to launch in 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.