Through the evolution of the gaming industry, Blizzard Entertainment has become a major player. The California publisher and developer is famous for titles like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and the Diablo series. Though it looks like even with the notoriety, Blizzard is seeing a major drop in monthly players.
Many of the most popular games on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation follow a live service model. After launching, the developers will continue to update the title with new content for players to pursue. So keeping fans logging in is critical to supporting this format in the long haul. Since most of Blizzard's heavy hitters fall into this model, a drop in recurring players can have a significant effect.
RELATED: Diablo Immortal Mobile Game Will Release This Year
Player base can be an ever changing demographic, but according to the metrics Blizzard has lost millions in a few years. By the company's own 2021 quarterly financials, there are about 27 million fans playing monthly. This is nothing to sneeze at, but compared to the 38 million monthly players reported in 2018 it is a noticeable drop. To make matters more concerning, around two million disappeared from consistent play only during this past year.
Despite the slumping numbers, revenue does not seem to be suffering a great deal. Over these past years, it has been increasing by 7% due in part to recent releases. Primarily this uptick is coming from World of Warcraft and the launch of the fastest selling expansion Shadowlands. On top of veteran players enjoying the content, there is an influx of new players joining the classic MMO. This will not be slowing down either, as BlizzCon 2021 revealed more additions coming to the title this year.
Seeing a decline in monthly users is likely an unfortunate sign for the gaming company. As the industry moves on with innovative experiences, players will continue to jump ship. With no mention of a release date for Overwatch 2, fans of Blizzard's signature shooter may be moving on. Jeff Kaplan has also left Blizzard, causing unease for the Overwatch community and the future. Even Diablo 4 is missing in action, giving Blizzard players little reason to keep engaging.
That said it could just be a case of timing, especially with the current pandemic. Revenue is still high with Blizzard's recent launches, showing that fans are still willing to dive into new content. Plus, the smooth Diablo 2: Resurrected Alpha shows that the title is shaping up to be a solid remake. While Blizzard's monthly player base may be a bit rocky, the company may be able to salvage the situation by sticking the course and bringing fresh experiences to the community.
MORE: Deep Overwatch 2 Lore to Know Before It Releases
Source: Massively Overpowered