The moment was immortalized in videos and mockery, most that was due to disappointed fans' expectations: Fans who attended BlizzCon 2018 had been hoping for "Diablo 2 Resurrected" announcements. However, it was also a result of an old stigma about smartphone games that D2R Items are popular in the West which is where the adoption of smartphones as a gaming platform has been slower than the majority part of the world.

Since the game's release, "Diablo 2 Resurrected" has boosted its reputation, as the beta and alpha tests showed the game was a full-throated, iconic Diablo experience. (It was also helpful that Blizzard has decided to bring it to PC.) In the Diablo series is one of the most influential examples of modern game design. It has popularized gameplay loops that focus on acquiring randomized "loot" to help your character become more robust. "Diablo 2," it was recently remastered, firmly established this loop, and "Diablo 3," which Cheng was also working on, refined and improved it.

While the 2018 moment was difficult for Cheng and his team, Cheng said it strengthened their resolve to show "Immortal" an excellent game from the Diablo series, as its free-to-play launch on mobile brings the series to its largest possible audience to date. The game releases June 2.

Cheng's enthusiasm for the game was evident in a recent interview. "I think that 'Diablo 2 Resurrected' will change a lot of players' perceptions of what they think of as an mobile game" Cheng told The Washington Post. "That is one of the goals from the beginning. Let's raise the standard of what you can expect from games that are mobile."

"I have three children and they're all teenagers. They aren't able to make the same distinction between console, PC , or mobile," Cheng said. "They enjoy gaming on a variety of platforms."

The game will be able to have a simultaneous launch on PC with full keyboard-and-mouse as well as controller support, in addition to cross progression and cross play that will be mobile-friendly at the time of the start of the game. This choice was made following a beta test in which creators of gaming content said they'd have to play the cheap D2R Items game so that they could showcase the game on their platforms as per Rod Fergusson, general manager of the Diablo franchise.