Blizzard Indifferent to Diablo 4 vs. 3, Focuses on Player Engagement

With the release of Diablo 4's first expansion, key developers provide insights into their vision for the series' latest entry and their broader objectives for the Diablo franchise.

Blizzard Talks Goals with Diablo 4

Devs Want to Focus on Content that Players Will Enjoy

Blizzard has expressed its commitment to maintaining Diablo 4's longevity, especially given its status as the company's fastest-selling game to date. In a recent interview with VGC, Diablo series head Rod Fergusson and Diablo 4 executive producer Gavian Whishaw discussed how sustaining interest across all Blizzard's action RPG dungeon crawler series is beneficial for the company—whether it's Diablo 4, 3, 2, or even the original game.

"One of the things you'll notice about Blizzard is that we tend not to turn any games off; it's very rare. So you can still play Diablo, Diablo 2, Diablo 2: Resurrected, and Diablo 3," Fergusson told VGC. "And so, people playing Blizzard games is awesome."

When asked if it's a concern that Diablo 4's player count is comparable to previous entries, Fergusson stated, "It's not a problem that people are playing whatever version." He highlighted the success of Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remaster of a 21-year-old game, noting the strong fan base it has attracted. "Just having people in our ecosystem, playing and loving Blizzard games, is a huge positive."

Fergusson emphasized that Blizzard wants players to "play what they want to play." While there are financial incentives for players to transition from Diablo 3 to Diablo 4, he clarified that the company is "not trying to actively be like 'how do we move them off?'"

"And whether they're playing Diablo 4 today, tomorrow, or whenever, our goal is to create content and features that are so appealing that people want to come and play Diablo 4," Fergusson said. "That's why we continue to support games like Diablo 3 and Diablo 2. Our aim is to make stuff that's so compelling that people want to play."

Diablo 4 Gears Up for Vessel of Hatred Release

The expansion introduces a new region, Nahantu, featuring new towns, dungeons, and ancient civilizations for players to explore. It also advances the game's campaign, where players continue their quest to find Neyrelle, a key hero in the game. This journey takes them deep into an ancient jungle to uncover and thwart a sinister plot orchestrated by the evil overlord Mephisto.