A Timeline of Monetization at Activision Blizzard’s Top Mobile Hits

Why this matters: monetization is changing how we play — and regulators are paying attention

Gamers are tired of getting blindsided by sudden paywalls, opaque currency bundles, and seasonal systems designed to accelerate progression for cash. If you follow Diablo Immortal or Call of Duty Mobile, you’ve seen the slow creep from simple cosmetic shops to deep, layered monetization systems that shape gameplay design and community reaction. This article lays out a clear, chronological timeline of how those two top Activision Blizzard mobile titles added monetization features over time, and maps each design change to community controversies and growing regulatory scrutiny in late 2025–early 2026.

Top-level takeaways (quick read)

• Monetization evolved in phases: launch-era stores → seasonal content and battle passes → aggressive limited-time bundles and randomized systems.
• Design choices drove controversy: pay-to-progress accelerators, opaque currency value, and scarcity-driven timers triggered community backlash and regulatory attention.
• Regulators aren’t waiting: Italy’s AGCM opened formal probes in Jan 2026 targeting alleged "misleading and aggressive" practices in both games.
• Practical actions for players and devs can limit harm: platform controls, clearer pricing, transparent odds, and responsible season design.

How we’ll walk through this

This is a chronological, design-focused timeline. For each title we’ll mark:

• Major monetization features added (currency, battle passes, randomized bundles)
• Notable patch-note moments or seasonal pivots
• Community backlash and controversies
• Regulatory attention and changes in late 2025–early 2026

Diablo Immortal: timeline of monetization features and friction

Pre-launch → launch (2018 announcement — mid 2022)

BlizzCon 2018 announcement set the tone: a major PC/console franchise moving to mobile. Diablo Immortal launched globally in mid-2022 as a free-to-play ARPG with the usual mobile toolbox: a built-in store, a premium currency, and bundles that sold progression-critical resources. The initial design choices emphasized both cosmetics and progression accelerants — the latter would become a flashpoint.

Year 1: power-as-a-purchase criticism (2022–2023)

• Paid bundles included materials used to craft or upgrade endgame gear, and limited-time offers offered huge value for time-strapped players.
• Community outcry centered on pay-to-advance mechanics. Critics argued certain bundles let paying players shortcut long grind cycles, affecting leaderboards and high-tier content.
• Patch notes in late 2022 and early 2023 added seasonal events and new bundles; but transparency about how premium currency converted to in-game power remained confusing to many players.

Year 2: seasonalization and shop sophistication (2023–2024)

Blizzard layered in more seasonal content, recurring battle-pass-like systems, and expanded cosmetic options. The in-game store began featuring tiered bundles, time-limited purchases, and mechanic changes that nudged players toward spending to avoid missing seasonal rewards.

2024–2025: monetization design matures — and scrutiny grows

• Developers introduced more complex bundles and limited-time events designed around scarcity and urgency (countdown timers, "last chance" banners).
• Community and some journalists flagged the lack of clear currency exchange rates and the difficulty of judging real-world cost of progression boosts.
• In-company tweaks followed several high-profile threads calling out promotional design choices that pressured microtransactions.

Early 2026: regulatory pressure lands

In January 2026 Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) launched investigations into Activision Blizzard for what it described as potentially "misleading and aggressive" sales practices in Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. The regulator highlighted design elements that drive long play sessions and push in-game purchases, particularly when minors are involved.

“These practices, together with strategies that make it difficult for users to understand the real value of the virtual currency used in the game and the sale of in-game currency in bundles, may influence players as consumers — including minors — leading them to spend significant amounts,” the AGCM wrote.

Call of Duty Mobile: timeline of monetization and community response

Launch and early monetization (2019 — 2020)

Call of Duty Mobile launched in late 2019 with a monetization model familiar to shooters on mobile: a store, a premium currency (often referred to as COD Points), and occasional paid weapon blueprints and cosmetics. Early on the economy sketched a clear split: cosmetics and premium skins vs performance-affecting items were largely separated, though progression acceleration via paid items was available in some modes.

Adoption of Battle Pass (2020 onward)

• CoD Mobile adopted the now-standard seasonal Battle Pass model, with free and premium tracks offering tiers of cosmetics, XP boosts, and weapon items.
• Battle Passes became the reliable recurring revenue engine — predictable for players but a steady monetization lever for the publisher.

2021–2023: experimentations with randomized systems and timed bundles

As seasons cycled, the store promoted limited-time bundles, randomized draws (sometimes called supply drops), and flash sales on COD Points packages. Weapon skin blueprints and exclusive operator cosmetics were used to drive spending during high-profile season launches.

2024–2025: friction and fairness debates

• Community debates around fairness intensified when some limited items could affect ranked play cosmetics and matchmaking perception. The developer emphasized that competitive integrity was preserved, but perception mattered.
• Players also questioned opaque bundles and multi-tiered currency packaging; determining the true cost of a desired item often required math across several microtransactions.

Early 2026: regulatory attention and investigations

Call of Duty Mobile was named alongside Diablo Immortal in Italy’s AGCM investigations. Authorities pointed to design-driven inducements — timers, scarcity messaging, and bundled currency — that might lead minors and adults to spend more than intended.

Patterns that linked monetization changes to controversies

Across both titles, certain design patterns consistently led to player backlash and regulatory review:

• Opaque currency systems: multiple conversion rates between real money and in-game effects make it hard to judge value.
• Scarcity and urgency: timers, "last chance" bundles and limited offers pressure quick purchase decisions.
• Progress accelerants: items that reduce grind time or directly boost stats create perceptions (or realities) of pay-to-win.
• Randomized reward systems: loot boxes or supply drops tied to real money invite gambling-related scrutiny.
• Layered monetization: battle passes, premium currencies, and item stores build complex purchase flows that are hard to audit for fairness.

Regulatory context in 2025–2026: why Italy’s action matters

Regulators across Europe have spent the early 2020s ramping up attention on digital games’ monetization — especially where design choices resemble gambling or exploit vulnerable users like children. The AGCM’s Jan 2026 investigations are part of a broader trend:

• Greater scrutiny on loot boxes and randomized monetization models in Europe and beyond.
• Calls for clear pricing, transparent odds, and easy-to-read currency conversions.
• Increased enforcement appetite from consumer protection agencies — meaning fines, required changes to UX, or mandated refunds are on the table.

Practical advice for players (how to protect your wallet and sanity)

If you want to keep playing Diablo Immortal or CoD Mobile without surprises, use these tactics:

1. Enable platform controls and parental controls. Both iOS and Android allow purchase limits and require authentication for in-app purchases — use them.
2. Read patch notes and season announcements. Developers document battle-pass changes and shop rotations in patch notes — knowing what’s coming can prevent impulse buys.
3. Compare bundles by unit price. Break down the real-world cost per unit of in-game currency and the expected value of what you want before spending.
4. Wait out timed pressure. Limited-time offers are designed to create urgency; set a 24–48 hour rule before purchase for a cooler head.
5. Use gift cards or pre-loaded balances. Pre-funding an account limits overspend and gives you an easy budget to manage.
6. Join community trackers. Dedicated Discords and subreddits often post the math on whether a bundle is actually worth it.

Actionable guidance for developers and publishers

If you design or manage live-service monetization, aim to balance revenue with fairness and compliance. Concrete steps:

• Publish clear currency conversion tables in store UIs and patch notes so players can map real money to in-game power or cosmetics.
• Disclose odds for randomized systems and add guaranteed-pity systems that reduce gambling-like harm.
• Segment progression accelerants from competitive power—if an item changes competitive play, label it explicitly or restrict it to non-ranked modes.
• Reduce urgency nudges that pressure minors; replace manipulative countdowns with clear expiration dates and refill windows.
• Keep patch notes and store changes easy to find. Transparency reduces player frustration and legal risk.

How the timeline predicts near-term changes (2026 trends and forecasts)

Based on the AGCM action and broader regulatory climate, expect the following near-term shifts in mobile monetization:

• Greater transparency requirements — disclosing currency values and odds is likely to become standard across Europe.
• Product changes to remove high-friction pay-to-progression items or to separate them clearly from competitive content.
• UI/UX reforms: fewer dark-pattern prompts (countdowns, forced 'limited' banners) and clearer purchase flows.
• New compliance tooling for publishers: built-in age checks, spending notices, and easier refund mechanics.
• Community-driven accountability: players will lean more on modded trackers and public archives of patch notes to hold publishers to promises.

Case study — A hypothetical change path based on the timeline

Imagine a mid-2026 patch to Diablo Immortal that responds to AGCM pressure. The developer could:

1. Publish a dedicated "Store Value" page showing exact USD equivalence for every premium bundle and currency pack.
2. Label items that grant direct progression boosts and remove those boosts from ranked or leaderboard content.
3. Add a 7-day cooling-off period for large purchases over a threshold and provide a clear refund route for accidental buys.

These are realistic, low-friction changes that reduce legal risk while maintaining viable revenue.

Where to watch next: what to track in patch notes and updates

Keep an eye on several concrete signals in developer communications and patch notes:

• New entries in store UI describing currency exchange and bundle unit pricing.
• Announcements about odds disclosure for randomized draws.
• Changes to battle pass design that separate pay-accelerated progression from competitive rewards.
• Explicit parental-control features or spending thresholds being added to game settings.

Final analysis: monetization is design — and design has consequences

The monetization histories of Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile show a clear arc: things that start as optional revenue streams often shape core gameplay when they become reliable engines of recurring income. That shift triggers community friction and — increasingly — regulatory scrutiny. Italy’s AGCM probe in January 2026 is a clear marker that regulators are ready to challenge practices deemed opaque or exploitative.

Actionable closing advice

For players: if you enjoy these games, protect your experience with platform controls, read patch notes, and avoid pressure buys. For developers: prioritize transparency and separate competitive integrity from monetization. For community leaders: keep tracking store math and publish easy-to-read summaries that help players make informed decisions.

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