Kotaku: Diablo IV Started as a Souls-Like, Will Be More Like Diablo II

Blizzard has had quite the eventful month since their mobile spinoff Diablo Immortals was announced. From Blizzcon fan outrage to a drop in Activision Blizzard’s stock value, the latest from their unholy series has caused nothing but misfortune. To get to the bottom of the company’s decision behind the unveil of Immortals and the status of Diablo IV, Kotaku’s Jason Schreier went digging. His latest investigative report reveals quite a bit.

In speaking with multiple anonymous sources from Activision Blizzard, Schreier has discovered that Diablo IV‘s development has seen its fair share of ups and downs. For starters, rather than producing another expansion for Diablo III, Blizzard opted to look forward at the next entry in the series instead — as a source stated “that there was a vote of no confidence from the executives. They thought Diablo III was a giant fuck-up.” Josh Mosqueira, director of Diablo III‘s Reaper of Souls expansion, would lead the first iteration of Diablo IV.

Mosqueira’s Diablo IV was a radical departure for the series, trading an isometric camera perspective for an over-the-shoulder one. Members familiar with the project likened it to Diablo inspired by Dark Souls. The game was so different that discussions whether to call it Diablo IV took place, though, after two years of development, the project was ultimately cancelled. The team behind the game split to begin work on Diablo III‘s Rise of the Necromancer DLC and a new project code-named Fenris — which according to Kotaku’s sources is the current version of Diablo IV.

The current team on Diablo IV are said to be optimistic about the game. The mantra for Diablo IV is “embrace the darkness.” According to Kotaku’s sources, Diablo IV‘s art direction will look more like Diablo II, and the game will overall be darker and gothic. It will also feature “light MMO elements” in order to be a more social experience, similarly to Destiny. Though, development is still early and things can change.

To read more about Activision Blizzard’s past, present, and future according to insider sources, read Kotaku’s full — and excellent — report here.

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