I was about to write an article about how many mobile users have pre-registered to play Diablo Immortal in Asian markets when I got a surprise sighting that turned the article title around.

I browsed down the page to the comments and found out that the Tap Tap Diablo Immortal account moderator had been very active responding to comments in the past 16 hours and before that.

This is not currently happening in the Google Play’s Diablo Immortal page (where comments are disabled); and there isn’t one in the iOS App Store yet. So I am starting to wonder if the “regional testing” is actually Asia testing.

Note: You can’t pre-register for iOS testing in USA. Tap Tap allows you to pre-register for iOS in Asia.

I browsed through the page, and the Tap Tap Diablo Immortal official account hasn’t been this active since 2018, responding comments from those who pre-registered to Diablo Immortal.

One of the comments from the Tap Tap Diablo Immortal account mentions ChinaJoy (update: all mentions of Chinajoy were now removed from the comment):

Official Account: “Pay attention to ChinaJoy, maybe there will be some related news and demo there.”

UPDATE: COMMENTS REMOVED

This specific update is from July 29. Around 10:32am ET, when I refreshed the page I had been browsing for several minutes, it caught my eye that all “ChinaJoy” text within the official account (possibly a Tap Tap moderator) had disappeared. I quickly compared one of the posts for a Before and After… and…

Note: Sorry, Stylosa. lol

Confirmed ChinaJoy 2020 Attendance

Update: Tap Tap’s Shaoman Lei is a panelist at ChinaJoy 2020. So this is what the Diablo Immortal account “possibly moderator” is referring to. Tap Tap employees will be at ChinaJoy.

NetEase vice president Ethan Wang is also scheduled as a speaker for 7 hours on July 30 at 10am for an unrelated panel, but this shows NetEase has a presence there along with Blizzard Entertainment — who are confirmed to be in attendance.

NetEase and Blizzard are also ChinaJoy 2020 Sponsors as seen at the bottom of this page (image below).

Tap Tap Diablo Immortal account responses Translation

Update: @yIntuition is kindly translating some of the responses. Stay tuned for updates. yIntuition tells me he is not certain if the person responding comments from the Diablo Immortal official account at Tap Tap is a Diablo Immortal community manager or a Tap Tap community manager with access to the account. Keep that in mind. I will ask my contacts to find out. Here are some translations. Apologies if the translation doesn’t match the image.

Warning: Diablo Immortal is not confirmed to be showcased at ChinaJoy 2020. It is merely a “possibility” — as much as any of the upcoming: ATVI investors call (Aug 4), or GamesCom (Aug 27). Keep your eye on these events just in case. Simply don’t feel disappointed or expect announcements with 100% certainty.

轻悠淡远: Had a GF two years ago, and just as I was starting to debate whether I should continue to game, I saw the pre-registration for DI… and signed up right away. I told myself that might be a sign that perhaps games and love-life can co-exist; and now… I just became a father, and just as I am troubled over whether I will still have time to play games, I realized that DI is still waiting for me. Nice! /sarcam Perhaps, when I finally retire and become a grandpa, I can set everything else aside and game… Will you wait for me till then, DI?

Official Account: Sorry about the long wait…now that everyone knows you are married, you should take the responsibility to become a good husband and good parent, let me be the one to wait for DI, and rest assured, you won’t have to wait till becoming a grandpa to play (this) game.

小獾獾: I’ll add the other four stars when the game is released.

Official Account: Thank you Hero for your attention on DI, I am here with you waiting for the moment DI is released.

大攀: Diablo V is gonna be released soon bro, it’s gonna be too late by the time DI is released. Didn’t you guys say you have the copyrights? Didn’t you say it’s the original developer team? All lies?

Official Account: Sorry for the long wait, Hero… Blizzard’s latest news is that DI is preparing for testing. I am watching news regarding Shanghai ChinaJoy and poking around to see if there will be demos or new content releases. Please be patient!

  • Diablo Immortal Team is actively responding Tap Tap Users... Alpha in China

GeoffreyWu: Ever since I started following DI, I would come here to take a look every day, not to check the game-dev progress. It’s the comment section’s stories are so intriguing that they attract me so much, so that I would have tears streaming down my cheeks — not knowingly– while reading them. So f**king entertaining. Even more so than the game itself!! (/sarcasm)

Now that it has become a habit for me to check in at the comment section here, I hope that the vast number of gamers keep sharing their amazing stories. Don’t stop, for I will keep reading; and hope you will keep writing.

One more thing, 5-stars is for the amazing stories in the comment section. So f**king entertaining.

Official Account: Uh… This… this is due to the new trend of chit-chatting in the comment section. Folks are talking about all sorts of things centered around DI, and they are all interesting. I know every Hero has their mind on DI. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be coming here to check out news and pressing for more game dev status. I hope that the game can go online earlier so that everyone can try it out. I don’t know which level of hell it will be, but the 18th hell – where I, Diablo, am right now, has converted from the palace of the demon king to comedy central…

雨后的爱情: Diablo might really be immortal, but I am not!! Please release soon, will I get to play it this year?

Official Account: Hero, please wait for the game with me, I am immortal (the OA’s name is Diablo Immortal; but this heart of mine will be rattled/lonely too as time goes on and familiar faces/things disappear. Pay attention to ChinaJoy, maybe there will be some related news and demo there.

如寄: Funny story about how his grandpa’s will to play DI before dying is keeping gramps alive. (TLDR)

Official Account: Ah… another Hero who rages on for not having DI. Sorry to keep you waiting. I will be there with you trying the game when it releases.

夙愿如何.三年未了: I’ll give the game 5 stars since Im begging for an update here… although I know there are other Blizzard games out there worth expecting: Overwatch 2, D4, and perhaps the final well-done version of the Warcraft III: Reforged (at least that’s better than whatever this current released shit is); but I am still hoping for a speedy release of DI.

Official Account: Thank you, Hero, for your expectations of DI. I will pass on your optimization recommendations upstairs. Right now we still need to wait for more information, and I will wait with you together.

熊爱胡喜欢测评游戏: (Too long to translate, but in a nutshell the user is being sarcastic about the long-#$% time spent waiting for Diablo Immortal).

Official Account: Uh… I couldn’t laugh at this article, my tears are swirling, it’s really been a long year and half of a wait for this Hero. However, the game is only part of the life; but not all of it, there are more important things such as school and work. Thank you for staying alongside DI. When DI comes online, your story will become one that says all the waiting was worth it.

灯: It feels like only the Chinese players still have some expectations left, is this game an April fools joke?

Official Account: : I can feel this hero’s persistance and passion for DI; and I too remain hopeful of the game’s release. Hero, please, wait for me to send my lackeys to poke for more news regarding ChinaJoy. According to a reliable source, Blizzard’s booth will be open between 7/31 and 8/3.

QQ用户11869184: Feels like everything has gone quiet. I’ll give 4 stars while I look forward to the release of the game.

Official Account: Thank you Hero for your expectations. I have sent my minions to ChinaJoy to dig up more news. Blizzard booth will be open between 7/31 and 8/3. Hopefully, they will bring back some good news. So please wait patiently with me.

安纳希克斯真好用: I came back to clean up the grave!

Official Account: The immortal king has not gone to eternal slumber, and Diablo is only sealed temporarily. Sanctuary is already shrouded in shadows, awaiting Immortal’s descent to bring everything to chaos.

知若苍州: Diablo… those are surely distant memories. I want to write a cool story too, so I readied my fingers on the keyboard; and wrote down four words: “I don’t have stories.”

Official Account: Seems like this Hero is a diablo fan of the ages. Thought of thousands of words to write, only to swallow them back down. I know how much expectations of this game all that meant. I will wait with you for the game to go online, to remember the glorious memories of old times.

圣蓝: If DI is truly released, I think I can finally get a new cell phone. I don’t think my current phone will be able to handle the punishment of DI.

Official Account: I, Diablo, look forward to the Heroes that come to challenge me. Rest assured hero, for the game will not punish your phone too much if properly optimized. (Goes on a rant of the different moves/skills diablo can do… to all the heroes); but as the sidekick of the Diablo PC franchise I really hope DI gets released so we can all try it.

鲜橙多: Life goes on, but when I turn around, you are still there waiting for me, and me waiting for you. Perhaps only you will be there waiting for me… in the next decades.

Official Account: emmmm, thank you Hero for your high hopes for DI. It won’t be too long. Hopefully, like you said, DI will accompany all the heroes for the decades to come after it is released. Classics are classics because its charisma and quality is well understood by players. So please, wait patiently along with me!

This was the last time Blizzard China responded a comment (November 19, 2018). So it is peculiar to see the Tap Tap Diablo Immortal account moderator responding to several comments in the past 11 days.

Source: Tap Tap Diablo Immortal page.

New Entries posted Tuesday, July 28/2020 and yesterday late evening.

61869859@Social: Did NetEase terminate their collaboration with Blizzard?

Official Account: Sorry for the long wait, Hero. About DI, the news out of Blizzard is that the game’s completion rate is fairly high, and they are still considering (when/whether) testing. I am also sending minions to ChinaJoy’s Blizzard panels/booths to check for news. There will be related news in the near future. So please wait with me patiently!

牧童短笛: My daughter is going to kindergarten this year… (inferring how long he’s waited for the game)

Official Account: Ah… this news shocked me for a whole day. The Heroes who are waiting for DI have already started to enjoy the family man’s life.

岛主: How much longer till the game is open to public? I have fathered enough money already.

Official Account: Sorry for the long wait, Hero. I have rested my liver well too. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any concrete news lately. So please sit tight and keep waiting patiently (Translator Note: in Chinese culture, Liver is referred here as a way of saying he’s well rested to play for days non-stop, which would usually take a toll on the liver.)

More responses were posted on July 29. These were posted an hour ago (5:30am ET). For the record, Tap Tap has been responding to pre-registered users nonstop since July 27, 28, and 29 thus far. But they started on July 16. Why now? Do they know something? Why build hype now?

Translations:

静若繁花: China Joy is coming, any news? Any plans? My head is going bald from all the wait.

Official Account: Sorry for the long wait brave soul/hero. For DI related news, please refer to NetEase’s official news.

绣冬: Not coming out still????

Official Account: Thank you for your commitment and expectations. I understand the feeling from waiting for DI. Please remain patient!

Ocean man: motherfxxking! I started waiting when I was a sophomore in college, and now I am a sad salaryman. The game is still not out! Why do you torture me like this!?

Official Account: Hero, please calm down. I understand your high expectations for the game; and I have already pushed for news through numerous channels. Please, understand and wait a little longer.

皓月之辉: I heard 1 star would not be good for corpse whipping, so I’ll give it 2 stars .(Note from the translator: corpse referring to that the game has not had news for so long. As if Diablo Immortal is dead). Seriously though, at least let us know if the game is coming out! You amped up my expectations and no news? Are the dates for alpha/beta set yet? When will it go online?

Official Account: Sorry, Hero. There is no news at the moment. I am waiting for the game alongside you.

Update (July 28, 2020)

Official Account: Sorry for the wait. There is no concrete news. I have sent minions to gather news. I think we need to wait a little longer.

Note: Some parts of the articles were edited because it is not confirmed whether the person talking through the Tap Tap Diablo Immortal official account is a Blizzard (China) CM or a Tap Tap employee or moderator. For clarification purposes, I changed it to Tap Tap as default until I hear otherwise.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Please, support Blizzplanet on Patreon (monthly) or PayPal (once), and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch for daily Blizzard games news updates.
BlizzCon 2019 Panel Transcripts