UPDATE: Blizzard has now confirmed it is working on multiple Diablo projects.
A new job posting from Blizzard Entertainment reveals that the company is working on a new Diablo game, six years after the release of the last installment in the franchise, Diablo III. Diablo is a popular RPG hack’n’slash series of video games that were primarily released on the PC. The games are set in a dark fantasy world where players go on a quest to save the world from demons. The gameplay of Diablo has inspired many RPGs, including the recently shut down Marvel Heroes.
Video game developer Blizzard Entertainment is mostly known for its work on PC games. Aside from the Diablo series, Blizzard has also created two other fan-favorite video game franchises: StarCraft and World of Warcraft. One of their biggest projects to date is 2016’s Overwatch, a multi-player first-person shooter which was released on PC and consoles. Though Overwatch has received widespread acclaim and a multitude of awards, the game has created a few controversies. That said, Overwatch remains a massive hit for Blizzard, which is shown by the amount of post-release content announced by the company.
Blizzard has posted a job listing that asks for a “dungeon artist” to help develop “an unannounced Diablo project.” Blizzard is looking for an artist to create “atmospheric dungeons with a focus on composition, detail, and mood, while ensuring that the gameplay space is readable.”
Though it’s been six years since Blizzard has released another Diablo game, Blizzard didn’t stop releasing post-launch content for Diablo III until June of 2017. The game was ported to Playstation 4 and Xbox One in 2013 and an expansion pack, Reaper of Souls, was released in 2014.
The news could come as a pleasant surprise to fans who have been waiting for Blizzard to develop an all-new Diablo game. While Diablo III was positively received, many longtime fans of the series were dissatisfied with Blizzard’s approach to the game. Unlike the first two games in the franchise, Diablo III put a great deal of focus on the multiplayer aspect of the game. A large part of the Diablo fanbase was disappointed that Diablo III differed from its predecessors by not offering an offline single-player mode. It remains to be seen if these criticisms will affect the new installment.
Some fans have expressed concern that with the continuing evolution of RPGs, Blizzard may move away from its top-down, isometric gameplay style that the series is known for. However, considering the success of other isometric RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity Original Sin, the Diablo series may not change much after all.
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Source: Blizzard
