Twitch streamer Shroud has long made public his vocal support for pay-to-win design in video games. Shroud’s said that he believes pay-to-win exists in most online games regardless of whether it’s by design, equating third-party gold farming toWorld of Warcraft’s modern token system. It should be no surprise then that Shroud has similar feelings regardingDiablo Immortal, which has courted significant controversy over its monetization. Shroud is supportive, though, saying he’s thankfulDiablo Immortalallows him to “keep spending money” as he pleases.
The topic came up in a comparison betweenLost ArkandDiablo Immortalthat Shroud was discussing with his audience on Twitch. Shroud was critical ofLost Ark, which he had spent thousands of dollars on, saying thatLost Ark"capped" his spending. Shroud explained that he was mad inLost Arkwhen he “couldn’t spend money anymore.” InDiablo Immortal, however, Shroud says that spending is uncapped and that he can spend as much money as he wants.
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Shroud might be referring to the $1,000 purchase limit onRoyal Crystalsper day inLost Ark, though there’s been some confusion over whether this limit is different for some players or changes over time due to anti-fraud measures.Diablo Immortaldoesn’t appear to have a purchase limit, though how heavily that’s been tested isn’t clear. Alternatively, Shroud may be referring to how easy it is to convert cash into power inDiablo Immortal, whereasLost Arkrequires players to invest more in playtime to capitalize on monetized elements of gameplay.
Shroud has previously claimed to havespent over $2,000 onLost Ark, though that was three months ago and has certainly increased by now. He’s a big spender when it comes to heavily monetized free-to-play games that he enjoys. It isn’t clear how much he’s spent onDiablo Immortalsince he started when the game launched on PC.
It’s easy to see why Shroud wouldn’t have a problem withheavy monetization inDiablo Immortalor other games. Not only is he wealthy, but spending money while playing games on stream makes him more money. This privilege of making money through spending money on Twitch streams also makes his broadcasts stand out next to streaming competitors. Of course, Shroud likely is enjoying himself quite a bit having these advantages, too, and having fun makes for more entertaining streams.
The controversies surroundingDiablo Immortalare complicated, as simple as they may seem.Shroudmay not be directly impacted by the alleged predatory monetization ofDiablo Immortal, but his views on monetization may impact some of his viewers. It’s unsurprising that some then view Shroud’s opinions on “uncapped” spending as disappointing.
Diablo Immortalis available now on PC, iOS, and Android.
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