Their reactions weren't helped by Diablo Immortal being announced at the very end of the convention as The Climax, or by the exasperated response by Blizzard employees who had not anticipated such a negative reception i.e. Much of the backlash was because the PC-centric crowd had paid $200 each to attend with expectations of seeing a new mainline Diablo installment, or at least a remaster of Diablo I or II. While there were prior incidents like the botched launch of Diablo III note At launch, the game suffered from Demand Overload, and its always-online DRM meant many gamers couldn't play it at all and negative audience reaction to the announcement of the mobile- exclusive Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2018 note The event is rather noteworthy as the first time in BlizzCon history that an announcement was met with vocal negativity. Blizzard Entertainment has seen its once-stellar reputation take a nosedive in the late 2010s and early 2020s following several controversial incidents.and released in an incomplete state, further displeasing fans on how the franchise had been treated under Baba's leadership. Zestiria was also the third mainline game in a row to have suffered a Troubled Production note Tales of Xillia was cut short to release for the franchise's 15th anniversary, and its sequel was developed and released in just a year to rectify that, resulting in many issues with its own story.

When Japanese fans were outraged, Baba made multiple contradictory statements trying to explain why it made sense, some of which were perceived as blaming the fans themselves for not understanding the game. Infamously, the character of Alisha Diphda had been very prominently featured in pre-release marketing as the game's Deuteragonist and female lead, but ended up only being a Guest-Star Party Member who left early in the game.

Hideo Baba was the brand manager and series producer of the Tales Series from Tales of Innocence (2007) to Tales of Zestiria (2015), but he's most well-known among franchise fans for mishandling Zestiria and eventually quitting Bandai Namco Entertainment a year after the game's release.

Sonic gather battle virus total