Diablo 4 kicked off its new 12th season on the 12th. It promptly climbed to 7th place on Steam's global top-seller list, and the concurrent player count saw a significant uptick compared to pre-season numbers.

The new 'Season of Slaughter' theme introduces a mechanic where players can transform into the iconic terror, 'The Butcher'. You can trigger this by activating the Altar of Slaughter within Helltide zones or by meeting specific criteria in the PvP Fields of Hatred. Furthermore, a new kill-streak system has been added, granting buffs and introducing 'Blood-soaked' items that grow stronger the more you slaughter.

To sweeten the deal, a collaboration event with Doom: The Dark Ages is now live. By slaying elite and champion monsters, you can earn special currency to unlock Doom-themed cosmetics like the Shield Saw, Slayer’s Flail, and the Abandoned Moon Village portal. Boss hunts also yield chests containing Crucible-transmogrified gear, and you can grab the Doom Slayer armor set directly from the shop.

Steam’s peak concurrent players jumped from a stagnant 4,000 to over 18,000 immediately after the season launch—a fourfold increase. While we must keep in mind that Battle.net remains the main hub for Diablo 4, it is safe to assume that other platforms and consoles are experiencing a similar surge in player activity.

Season 12 runs until April 28, acting as a bridge before the release of the new 'Vessel of Hatred' expansion. It feels like a stopgap, but the novelty of transforming into the Butcher seems to be doing the heavy lifting.

Elsewhere on the charts, two new releases made their mark. 'Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse' (remastered version), launched at noon, debuted at 8th place with a 'Very Positive' early reception, while 'John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando' hit 6th place ahead of its evening release.

In the top 20 for daily peak concurrent players, Limbus Company secured 18th place with 84,478 players following its latest content update. Limbus Company continues to climb the ranks with every update post-Walpurgisnacht, backed by consistently high YouTube engagement, proving its rising profile.