Diablo 2 Remaster Reportedly in the Works

A remaster of Diablo II is in development, according to a new report. This sort of claim has been made in the past, but not for some time. The remaster is reportedly being developed by Vicarious Visions, an Albany-based studio under the Activision umbrella known for remastering, remaking, and serving as a support studio on larger games. The video game, which originally released in 2000, has long been rumored to get the remaster treatment given its immense popularity.

The report comes way of French website, Actu Gaming, who doesn't reveal many salient details about the project beyond the above. The developer's most recent project was 2019's Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, a great remake of 1999's Crash Team Racing. Before this, it shipped Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, helped get Destiny 2 out the door, and made a ton of Skylanders games.

Unfortunately, the details on the project dry up here. What's interesting though is that alongside this article, GameStop pushed a pre-order listing for an E3-exclusive Diablo 2 Tyrael Funko Pop. Pretty weird, right? Well, yeah, unless Blizzard and Activision are doing something new with Diablo 2. Adding to the speculation is the fact that yesterday Blizzard randomly went into "emergency maintenance" mode with Diablo 2. Again, strange. But here's the cherry on top. 2020 is Diablo 2's 20-year anniversary. In other words, it's the perfect time to do something with the popular title from yesteryear.

As mentioned above, this isn't the first time we've heard about a Diablo 2 remaster. Back in October 2019, a reputable leaker also leaked word of the project. Of course, none of this means the game is actually in development. It's just that this is a lot of smoke for no fire. That said, all of this -- the claim itself and speculation derived from it -- should be taken with a grain of salt. Nothing here is official and everything here, if correct, is also subject to change.

Diablo 2 is an action role-playing game meets hack-and-slash game that debuted on PC back in 2000 via Blizzard Entertainment and Blizzard North. One of the most popular games of its year, the critically-acclaimed and best-selling title is often lauded as one of the best games of all time.

[H/T Reset Era]