Diablo 4's foremost warring factions are the Cathedral of Light and the Temple of the Triune. But, in real life, there are two opposing sides that are as equally as massive. On one corner, there's the video game developer, Blizzard Entertainment. On the other, there's the Oscar-winning actress, talk-show host, and outspoken gamer, Whoopi Goldberg.
Goldberg, a self-confessed Diablo fan, is currently in an admittedly one-sided war of words against Blizzard after she found out that her copy of Diablo 4, one of the year's best-reviewed games, isn't compatible with her beloved Mac.
The celebrity, who's famously unafraid to give even the Prime Evils a piece of her mind, quickly took to Instagram to vent at the developer. Less than two weeks after Diablo GM, Rod Fergusson, joked that he didn't have "Whoopi Goldberg yelling at me on Instagram" on his bingo card, Goldberg is at it again.
In a fiery video post, Goldberg lambasted Blizzard Entertainment, expressing her disappointment and frustration with a lack of communication about the game's compatibility issues with the Mac operating system. “I'm still pretty upset with Blizzard Entertainment because I still have not heard from them," she declared, setting the stage for what would become a passionate campaign for gaming fairness and transparency.
Goldberg's frustration is all the more stinging due to her obvious affection for the Diablo series. "This is Whoopi. You know how much I love Diablo. I would like y'all to let those of us who use our Apples to play. Allow us to play on the Apple," she lamented in her initial video post, clearly conveying her disappointment with the situation.
Despite the Hollywood icon's very public plea, Blizzard Entertainment has remained silent, opting instead to announce the game's sales figures and its big plans for the game, which should only fuel Goldberg's determination to shed light on this issue.
Her quarrel with Blizzard and the compatibility issues of Diablo IV isn't just about one disgruntled gamer. It's an issue that resonates with countless other Mac users who had been eagerly awaiting the game's release, only to discover that they'd be left out in the cold.
As much as we might try to make light of this situation, this is a very real problem that Blizzard should've foreseen if not solved already.
To make matters worse, Mac compatibility doesn't seem like it's part of Diablo 4's immediate roadmap.
It's not just Blizzard in Goldberg's crosshairs, though. The actress also criticized the delivery service UPS for what she says is poor customer service, further emphasizing her frustration with companies failing to live up to their promises and their responsibilities to their customers.
Interestingly, amidst Goldberg's fiery campaign, the solution may already be in the hands of gamers. Apple has released a new software, the Game Porting Toolkit, that acts as a translation layer to allow Windows-based PC games to run on the Mac OS. Diablo IV, according to some users, is perfectly playable via this toolkit.
Whether Blizzard Entertainment will respond to Goldberg's complaints or whether the actress will turn to the Game Porting Toolkit remains to be seen. However, the saga serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of transparency and, more importantly, communication in the gaming industry, as well as the far-reaching influence of celebrity gamers. As Goldberg puts it, "We could've done this a little bit better, Blizzard."
The battleground is set, and gamers around the world are watching with bated breath to see how this war will end. One thing is clear, though - Whoopi Goldberg isn't backing down without a fight.
Of course, this kind of publicity isn't necessarily bad. Blizzard has done an excellent job marketing Diablo 4 in the lead-up to its launch and while it's been out. The purely coincidental billboard in New York and the collaboration with Megan Fox are just examples of how much money they put in to make sure that Diablo 4 is as well-known all over the world. Perhaps they should consider sending Whoopi Goldberg over something.
Boooo Fucking Hooo! At no point in time did Blizzard ever advertise this for Apple. Jesus, maybe those nappy dreadlocks make reading a bit hard, or maybe you never bothered to read what systems were supported. And you mean to tell me you just went and bought a copy of the game and just assumed that whatever disc UPS delivered would be the one you needed?!
"Ohhhh I am a Diablo fan! Ohhh I run on an Apple! Ohhh I am *entitled* to have it for Apple!"
Get over yourself.
Didn't Whoopi play WoW as well? I always forget she enjoys video games.
whoopi goldberg complaining over mac access is peak irony
Maybe she need to get a REAL PC instead of using APPLE products!