Diablo 2 Developer on the Problems with Remastering the Game
Ever since the announcement was made for Starcraft Remastered, fans have been speculating on (read: hoping for) more titles to get the spit and polish treatment. Chief among these Blizzard titles is Diablo 2. David Brevik, the co-founder of Blizzard North and one of the developers originally involved in Diablo 2, was recently a guest on the Diabloii.net podcast. During the episode in question, he weighed in on the possibility of an updated version of the classic action RPG. According to him, the likelihood of D2 getting the Remaster treatment is low.
Brevik doesn’t believe that “a lot of the assets survived.” One of the problems associated with remastering this particular game is the inherent design philosophy. “For instance,” Brevik explains, “the world of Diablo 2 is broken up into tiles.” He emphasized the problems this would create, adding that older games are designed differently on a fundamental level which is “nothing like they’re made today.” For Brevik, getting a remastered version of this game to feel quite right would be a monumental task.
Not totally impossible, mind you. This just means that Brevik doesn’t see an easy path towards a remastered version of D2 being made. On the one hand, it’s unfortunate that the prognosis is so bleak. On the other hand, at least the team behind the game is busy considering the possibilities. The game’s 20th anniversary isn’t too far away. How perfect would it be for Blizzard to blow the lid off of a shiny new version of their most celebrated action RPG?