Diablo 4: Blizzard Prioritizes Player Engagement

With the launch of Diablo 4's initial expansion, key developers offer insight into their aspirations for the series' latest installment, and their broader vision for the Diablo franchise.

Blizzard Discusses Goals for Diablo 4Developers Aim to Prioritize Content Players Will Appreciate

Blizzard revealed that it plans to maintain Diablo 4's operation for an extended period, particularly given its status as the company's fastest-selling game ever. In a recent VGC interview, Diablo series head Rod Fergusson and Diablo 4 executive producer Gavian Whishaw discussed the mutual benefits of enduring player engagement across all installments in Blizzard's acclaimed action RPG series—be it Diablo 4, 3, 2, or even the original game.

"I mean, one of the things you’ll notice about Blizzard is that we rarely discontinue any games. So you can still play Diablo and Diablo 2, Diablo 2: Resurrected and Diablo 3, right?" Fergusson told VGC, "And so just people playing Blizzard games is fantastic."

When asked whether or not it's an issue for Blizzard if Diablo 4's player count is comparable to previous Diablo games, Fergusson stated that "it’s not a concern that players are enjoying whichever version." He continued, "That’s one of the aspects that’s been truly exciting about Diablo 2: Resurrected, is that there’s a substantial fanbase for that game, which is a remaster of a 21-year-old game. So simply having players within our ecosystem, playing and appreciating Blizzard games, is incredibly positive."

Fergusson also mentioned that Blizzard desires players to "play what they prefer." While there are financial advantages for the company if more players transitioned from Diablo 3 to Diablo 4, he noted that the company is "not actively attempting to strategize on how to shift players."

"And whether they’re playing Diablo 4 today, or tomorrow, or at any time, our objective is to create content and features so appealing that players will want to play Diablo 4," Fergusson said. "And that’s why we continue to support titles like Diablo 3 and Diablo 2, and so for us, it’s truly a matter of 'let’s create something so engaging that players will want to participate'."

Diablo 4 Prepares for Vessel of Hatred Launch

Speaking of more "content," lots of exciting content is in store for Diablo 4 players! With the upcoming release of Vessel of Hatred, Diablo 4's upcoming first expansion launching soon on October 8, the Diablo team shared a video detailing what to expect as the expansion rolls out.

The expansion will introduce a new region, Nahantu, where new towns, dungeons, and ancient civilizations await discovery. Moreover, it features a continuation of the game's campaign, where players' search for Neyrelle, a major hero in the game, takes them deep into an ancient jungle to uncover and thwart a malicious agenda orchestrated by evil overlord Mephisto.