It Almost Looked Like Dark Souls
We are past the contentious events of Blizzcon and the announcement of Diablo Immortal, one would hope, and many fans hope the future will bring Diablo IV. While the company has confirmed that the fourth installment is in development, they’ve yet to report any details. Fortunately, details have arisen from other sources.
Over at Kotaku, News Editor Jason Schreier has reaped quite a few answers about the direction and state of Diablo IV. Several sources who have worked—and are still working—at Blizzard have spared several interesting details about the next iteration of the beloved RPG franchise. Typically, we advise that every unconfirmed tidbit should be taken with a grain of salt, but Schreier’s sources have proven very reliable in the past.
According to Blizzard Sources, development of a new Diablo started in 2014 and would have had a Dark Souls twist. Code-named Hades, the project opted for an over-the-shoulder third-person camera. Alongside an infusion of Gothic-style artwork, the game wanted to mimic From Software’s trademark difficulty. However, we may not see that take on the franchise since Hades was canceled back in 2016. Instead of mulling in a dry spell, the team behind the canceled project, Team 3, put their backs into the development of Diablo III expansion Reaper of Souls. Later, they would reset development on Diablo IV.
Sources have confirmed that Diablo IV is in development under the code name Fenris. “[Design director] Luis [Barriga] has a very strong vision for that game,” a former employee told Schreier, “one that a lot of people are excited about at Blizzard.”
“There’s a lot of people who felt like Diablo III got away from what made Diablo Diablo in terms of art style and spell effects,” said a current Blizzard employee. Apparently, the game is shaping up to look like Diablo II. Another employee added, “They want to make this gross, make it dark, [get rid of] anything that was considered cartoony in Diablo III… Make what people were afraid of in Diablo II, but modern.”
Blizzard sources also made mention of “light MMO elements.” Basically, the next incarnation of Diablo could share some of the qualities of Destiny. Imagine a game with NPC hubs, where players can stop and meet other players then group up for raids; in this case, it would be instanced dungeons.“The question that kept getting asked is, ‘If there’s going to be a ‘strike’ equivalent, where you’re forced into a very story-focused, well-designed level of a dungeon, what does that look like in Diablo?” said one person familiar with the project. “What if we still had a core Diablo game that just happened to have a bunch of people on the map to do other cool stuff?”
Another question being asked at the studio, allegedly, is whether or not the next Diablo will keep its isometric camera or switch to over-the-shoulder. Only time will tell.
Are you excited for the eventual release of Diablo IV? What are your thoughts on a new camera angle? Feel free to drop a comment down below.
SOURCE: Kotaku