Monday, June 13th 2022

Hell on the Horizon: Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo IV Coming in 2023

Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Diablo IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series, is debuting in 2023. Blizzard also announced that Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, alongside versions for Windows PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, with cross-play and cross-progression enabled for all platforms. Inside Sanctuary—a realm long embattled by the devastating wars between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells—decades have passed since the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, but the world remains plagued by a sinister, corrupting force. And now Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, has been reborn in the mortal world and is determined to rule over Sanctuary once more.

Joining the battle alongside iconic classes Barbarian, Sorceress, Rogue, and Druid is the legendary Necromancer, the fifth playable character class, which returns with newly designed undead mechanics. Players will be able to utilize the Necromancer's Book of the Dead, an all-new ability for the class, allowing them to dominate the battlefield with deeper customization of their undead army than ever before. Fight with aggressive skeleton Warriors, fast-attacking Skirmishers, sword and board Defenders, or scythe-wielding Reapers. Unleash a litany of spells with Skeleton Mages, imbuing them with shadow, cold, and sacrificial magics. Deploy tanking Bone Golems, health-stealing Blood Golems, and charging Iron Golems. Or sacrifice them all to absorb their power.
"We can't wait to open the gates of Hell next year—the talented team behind Diablo IV puts gameplay first in everything they do, and they have built the biggest and most ambitious vision of Sanctuary yet," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "This sprawling world draws deeply from the dark well of the franchise's 25-year history and is designed around the philosophy of player choice, offering an adventure unlike anything Diablo players have experienced before."

Diablo IV's version of Sanctuary is massive, and every inch is rife with opportunity for adventure. Character customization in the game is richer and more extensive than ever, and players will be able to let their curiosity (and perhaps foolishness) guide them through over 140 dungeons and dozens of side quests in their pursuit of victory over Lilith's forces... and ever-more-powerful gear. Mighty world bosses pose added challenge throughout Sanctuary, encouraging players to team up with others they encounter on their journeys to defeat them and reap their treasures. And for the first time, players can forever alter the world around them by conquering and converting corrupted Strongholds into friendly outposts.

There's no golden path to follow in Diablo IV; players can choose to progress in whatever nonlinear way they want to. This open-ended experience extends to the end game, where players can test their skills in Nightmare Dungeons, enjoy combative mayhem in dedicated PvP zones, build Paragon Boards to continue advancing and customizing their characters beyond max level, and engage with the Tree of Whispers to unlock further world objectives and bounties and acquire Legendary gear.


Source: Blizzard
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21 Comments on Hell on the Horizon: Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo IV Coming in 2023

#1
ModEl4
One of my favourite game series, let's hope Blizzard deliver.
Interesting the Xbox-SX "promo hint", but is coming to PlayStation also, I'm really curious to see if we are going to have any "accidental" performance differences and if we are going to have any Xbox advantage like time limited exclusivity or DLC differences etc (probably not, i don't know the contracts between Sony-Activition)
Posted on Reply
#2
FreedomEclipse
~Technological Technocrat~
ModEl4One of my favourite game series, let's hope Blizzard deliver.
They'll deliver alright... predatory microtransactions and lootboxes at every level to turn you players in to payers :laugh:

grind hard till you hit the paywall squad. :roll:
Posted on Reply
#3
AnarchoPrimitiv
Don't forget to be ready for the servers being completely down for the first 3-4 days just like with the release of Diablo 2: resurrected.... For some reason Blizzard can't forsee the need for massive server space when they release an extremely popular game across three different platforms simultaneously.... It's bad enough the "people" with seemingly no jobs and no responsibilities to attend to other than Diablo ruin the ladder by reaching level 95 in the first two days.
Posted on Reply
#4
devilblessed
"decades have passed since the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls" - Literally
Posted on Reply
#5
Sithaer
FreedomEclipseThey'll deliver alright... predatory microtransactions and lootboxes at every level to turn you players in to payers :laugh:

grind hard till you hit the paywall squad. :roll:
For now this is the official standpoint regarding that:

Adam Fletcher / Global Community Lead for @Diablo at @Blizzard_Ent

"D4 is coming out as a full price game built strictly for PC/console audiences. The game is huge & there will be tons of content after launch for all players. Paid content is built around optional cosmetic items & eventually full expansions. We will be sharing more info soon!"


So I will hold my horses and wait for the game's relase before going for my pitchfork, yeah I know Immortal left a bad taste in many ppl's mouth but that game was designed as a mobile game from the get go while D4 wasnt so lets wait and see..

Personally I'm interested since I grew up on this serie, as long as it only has cosmetic stuff to buy then I don't care and will play/buy it regardless.
Posted on Reply
#6
mazzilla
Its a matter of trust and the trust level in Blizzard has been damaged over and over again with the crowning glory with the turd that is Diablo Immortal. If morons want to spend thousands on that thing, enjoy. I appreicate that its a mobile game, but even so, its a cynical cash grab no matter what platform its on.

I am not going to pay full price for a game that has even the slightest hint of P2W. Cosmetic junk that I have no interest in is fine and I dont mind paying for DLC, RoS was a fine expansion and wasnt that expensive. Anything else, no. I have the original, D2 and have been playing D3 since its release and I am rubbish at it but somehow I managed to get to paragon 936 this season and I dont know how!! My previous highest was the lofty heights of around paragon 200.

Back to D4, they will have to show the community that P2W is no where in this or it will be another damaging episode in the Blizzard story and damage their reputation even more. They have a lot of hard work ahead to regain some sort of trust with gamers who have invested countless hours with the previous 3 "proper" Diablo games.
Posted on Reply
#7
FreedomEclipse
~Technological Technocrat~
SithaerFor now this is the official standpoint regarding that:

Adam Fletcher / Global Community Lead for @Diablo at @Blizzard_Ent

"D4 is coming out as a full price game built strictly for PC/console audiences. The game is huge & there will be tons of content after launch for all players. Paid content is built around optional cosmetic items & eventually full expansions. We will be sharing more info soon!"


So I will hold my horses and wait for the game's relase before going for my pitchfork, yeah I know Immortal left a bad taste in many ppl's mouth but that game was designed as a mobile game from the get go while D4 wasnt so lets wait and see..

Personally I'm interested since I grew up on this serie, as long as it only has cosmetic stuff to buy then I don't care and will play/buy it regardless.
Confucius say: "Dont trust Activision/Blizzard"
Posted on Reply
#8
dirtyferret
FreedomEclipseConfucius say: "Dont trust Activision/Blizzard"
How many devs who made Diablo II & III are still around in Activision/blizzard? I thought many of them left to make Runic, Frost Giant , and other studios.
Posted on Reply
#9
BArms
Still looks too cartoony and I wonder will the story be as weak and forgettable like it was in D3?
Posted on Reply
#10
DeathtoGnomes
1st: video: all such game trailers are done with movie level graphics not representative of actual game graphics.

2nd video: everything was crisp and clear until the scene overlooking the city, its got a huge dust cloud over it, or its pollution, but its a weak and old graphics trick to cover up what could have been incredible detail.

I have to agree, if there is loot boxes, I'll pass.
Posted on Reply
#11
ModEl4
One other thing that i wanted to say is that there are many contenders among developers in the industry for "best cinematic trailer" awards through the years, but i think the ones that did Diablo 3 & 4 are certainly up there with the best imo!
Posted on Reply
#12
Prima.Vera
BArmsStill looks too cartoony and I wonder will the story be as weak and forgettable like it was in D3?
I agree. This is not a graphics for 2023. It looks like how D3 should have looked a decade ago unfortunately.
Posted on Reply
#13
FreedomEclipse
~Technological Technocrat~
dirtyferretHow many devs who made Diablo II & III are still around in Activision/blizzard? I thought many of them left to make Runic, Frost Giant , and other studios.
The debate wasnt about the level of quality, polish or creative direction of the game compared to previous releases. Immortal runs pretty smoothly on non samsung Exynos hardware (not sure if this has been patched yet)

But its full of predatory microtransactions and they have pulled out every trick in the book to make you pay money to progress within the game.
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#14
Chrispy_
Blizzard need to restore faith in their mortally-wounded brand name. If Diablo IV is anything other than a fantastic game devoid of P2W and 0-day DLC, Diablo as a franchise is permanently ruined.
Posted on Reply
#15
ratirt
With Diablo franchise, I don't care about graphics that much. As long as it keeps the feeling of a thrill when you play with the same atmosphere I will be happy. There's so many games with tremendous graphics and I played them minutes and dropped forever. Graphics is not everything but there has to be some sort of graphics level. As far as I look at the trailer I'm satisfied. The release is next year so there is still time for improvement.
Posted on Reply
#16
Frick
Fishfaced Nincompoop
The only problem with P2W is if it's predatory IMO. If a player wants to spend 10$ instead of grinding for 10 hours for that cool thing I'm fine with that. I do not take multiplayer into account here.
Posted on Reply
#17
Prima.Vera
ratirtWith Diablo franchise, I don't care about graphics that much. As long as it keeps the feeling of a thrill when you play with the same atmosphere I will be happy. There's so many games with tremendous graphics and I played them minutes and dropped forever. Graphics is not everything but there has to be some sort of graphics level. As far as I look at the trailer I'm satisfied. The release is next year so there is still time for improvement.
Diablo II Resurrected has x10 times better graphics than Diablo III and also it's a way better game from all points.
Posted on Reply
#18
ratirt
Prima.VeraDiablo II Resurrected has x10 times better graphics than Diablo III and also it's a way better game from all points.
Obviously I'm playing the game all the time :). Diablo III was not that good in my opinion. Played it a little bit but it didnt blew me away like D2 did.
Posted on Reply
#19
Chrispy_
Prima.VeraDiablo II Resurrected has x10 times better graphics than Diablo III and also it's a way better game from all points.
Diablo 3 was a betrayal of the Diablo franchise which, after RMAH removal and a lot of additional effort from Blizzard, turned out to be a reasonably fun game without really being true to D1 or D2.

D2R was nothing more than the exact game Blizzard would have made 22 years ago if PCs were faster and they'd had far more time and money.
Posted on Reply
#20
Prima.Vera
Chrispy_Diablo 3 was a betrayal of the Diablo franchise which, after RMAH removal and a lot of additional effort from Blizzard, turned out to be a reasonably fun game without really being true to D1 or D2.

D2R was nothing more than the exact game Blizzard would have made 22 years ago if PCs were faster and they'd had far more time and money.
I think Diablo Immoral takes their worst Diablo crawn now...
Posted on Reply
#21
ratirt
Prima.VeraI think Diablo Immoral takes their worst Diablo crawn now...
Never played that but it is also for cell phones so it has to be different.
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