Diablo 4 developer Blizzard has promised a fix for a user interface issue that is causing some players to accidentally activate the premium battle pass.
Streamer Rurikhan took to Twitter to post a clip showing how he inadvertently activated the 1,000 Platinum (£8.39 / $9.99) Season 1 premium battle pass on Diablo 4's battle pass menu screen. Not only is the 'Activate Premium Battle Pass' button close to the button used to check your Season Journey, but the cursor defaults to the 'Activate Premium Battle Pass' button on this screen.
So Blizzard placed the 'Activate Premium Battle Pass' button right next to the button you have to constantly press to check your Season Journey.
— Rurikhan (@Rurikhan) July 21, 2023
Guess what happened to me and at least 5 others on my stream. This is straight up Malicious Design. @Diablo pic.twitter.com/99KhTR51ad
Rurikhan explained he was saving his battle pass unlock, obtained by buying either the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Editions of Diablo 4, for a future season “since I don't have time to commit to this one”.
“So Blizzard placed the 'Activate Premium Battle Pass' button right next to the button you have to constantly press to check your Season Journey,” Rurikhan said. “Guess what happened to me and at least five others on my stream? This is straight up malicious design.”
Popular streamer Rhykker also chimed in to accuse this user interface element of being a "dark pattern”. “IMO Blizzard needs to add a confirm button or something if they don't want to be accused of using dark patterns. Simple ‘confirm’ pop-up would fix this.”
In response to the original Twitter post, which has had over three million views, Diablo 4 community chief Adam Fletcher said a temporary fix is in the works that will “at least ensure the cursor isn’t defaulted there and will instead be defaulted on Season Journey”. This small update is due out early the week starting July 24.
Just had a powwow with people on this post stream. We have a temp fix in the works that will at least ensure the cursor isn’t defaulted there and will instead be defaulted on Season Journey.
— Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) July 21, 2023
While this user interface issue is more of a problem on console than it is on PC, where mouse and keyboard input make accidental menu clicks less like, it’s still worth keeping an eye out for the 'Activate Premium Battle Pass' button so it can be avoided if you want to play Diablo 4 Season 1 without paying extra.
Last week, Blizzard addressed the backlash to Diablo 4’s controversial nerf patch, promising a new patch to revert many of the changes it made.
Despite various issues, Diablo 4 enjoyed an enormous launch that saw over 10 million people play in June. Diablo 4 is Blizzard’s fastest-selling game of all time, and has fuelled record revenue and profits for the company. If you're still playing, check out our interactive Diablo 4 map to start tracking your progress as you play.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
