Asmongold, a popular Twitch content creator, has recently discussed the improvements to the Amazon character in Blizzard’s Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Since the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing launched a discrimination and harassment lawsuit against the corporation in July, Activision Blizzard has been attempting to contain the damage. Blizzard changed the names of in-game characters named after employees accused of wrongdoing, such as Jesse McCree and Alex Afrasiabi, as a result of the lawsuit.
Many individuals feel that the same changes were also made in Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Diablo 2: Resurrected received cosmetic and quality-of-life improvements, but the core gameplay remained the same. Diablo 2’s original 2D sprites have been converted to 3D models in Resurrected, and the game’s cutscenes and select tunes have also been remastered. The appearance of the Amazon character, who many thought was overly sexualized in the previous game, was a more visible modification. The previously voluptuous female warrior now appears to have aged around 20 years and has a more proportionate figure.
Many players, especially the prominent Twitch streamer Asmongold, were seems to be dissatisfied with the changes to the Amazon. Typically, the content creator’s criticism is directed at World of Warcraft, to the point where Blizzard has accused Asmongold of inciting drama among WoW players.
This time, though, the streamer is particularly dissatisfied with the new Amazon in Diablo 2. The Amazon has been altered in Diablo 2 according to Blizzard: Resurrected because the studio wanted to make sure that all of the characters looked like they belonged in their respective roles, not like they had just “rolled out of a nightclub.”
Asmongold isn’t convinced. He discussed the modifications in Diablo 2: Resurrected in a Twitch stream on September 22nd and here’s what he stated; “I know a lot of people might not really care, but I do. I don’t like to see this happen, this revisionism. I want to play a video game. The extent that they’re going to change the game based off of them trying to make up for the fact they molest people at their office is just, it’s insulting to me as a player. I think that it’s also condescending. It’s patronizing. … The game is no longer an artistic expression, it’s now a vehicle to promote an agenda and a worldview.”
As Blizzard continues to remove inappropriate content from their games, it’ll be interesting to see what’s next on the chopping block. One thing, however, is very clear; Asmongold isn’t in support of it.