Diablo 4 Over Diablo 3? Blizzard Doesn't Care As Long As You Play Their Games

With the release of Diablo 4's first expansion, key developers provide insights into their vision for the latest installment and the broader goals 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 as a long-term project, 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 the importance of longevity and sustained player interest across all Diablo games, from the original to the latest.

"I mean, 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 go play Diablo and Diablo 2, Diablo 2: Resurrected and Diablo 3, right?" Fergusson told VGC, "And so just people playing Blizzard games is awesome."

When asked about the competition between Diablo 4 and previous entries in terms of player count, Fergusson emphasized that Blizzard sees it as a positive. "It’s not a problem that people are playing whatever version," he stated. He highlighted the success of Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remaster of a 21-year-old game, as evidence of the strong fan base and the value of keeping players engaged within the Blizzard ecosystem.

Fergusson further explained that Blizzard's goal is to let players enjoy the games they prefer. While there are financial incentives for players to transition from Diablo 3 to Diablo 4, the company isn't focused on pushing players away from older titles. "And whether they’re playing Diablo 4 today, or tomorrow, or whenever, the goal for us is to make the content and the features that are so desirable that people want to come and play Diablo 4," Fergusson said. "And that’s why we continue to support things like Diablo 3 and Diablo 2, and so for us, it’s really a goal of 'let’s just make stuff that’s so appealing that people want to come play'."

Diablo 4 Gears Up for Vessel of Hatred Release

Excitement is building for Diablo 4 players with the upcoming release of the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, set to launch on October 8. The Diablo team has released a video detailing what players can expect from this expansion.

Vessel of Hatred will introduce a new region, Nahantu, featuring new towns, dungeons, and ancient civilizations for players to explore. The expansion continues the game's campaign, with players embarking on a quest to find Neyrelle, a key character, leading them into an ancient jungle to thwart the sinister plans of the evil overlord Mephisto.