Blizzard Gives Encouraging Update on Diablo 4 Development

Blizzard has given an encouraging update on the development of Diablo 4, a game we haven't seen in a significant way since its reveal at BlizzCon last year. That said, while the silence may suggest that things haven't been going great, according to Blizzard's Rod Fergusson, things are actually going quite swimmingly.

As you may know, studios around the world are facing brand new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is causing setbacks in development and delays of games. Of course, the team working on Diablo 4 hasn't been able to bypass these issues entirely, but it does sound like the studio has transitioned to work-at-home perhaps a bit better than others, which may be a luxury afforded by the fact that the game is still in the early stages of development.

According to Fergusson -- who only joined the studio this year after leaving The Coalition and Gears of War behind -- things are "going very well," and apparently little productivity has been lost. And this is partially because Blizzard has been providing "allowances" to their developers to cover the cost of switching to home development, as well as going as far as to send the occasional "snack box."

"The fact that you see Hearthstone has shipped two expansions, and World of Warcraft is about to ship an expansion," said Fergusson while speaking to PC Gamer. And we on Diablo continue to -- it's been challenging, but the team is just moving forward. So I've been really grateful -- if I was going to do it, to be able to do it with Blizzard."

Unfortunately, this is all Fergusson had to say about Diablo 4, which at this point sounds like it's a few years away.

Diablo 4 has been confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. PS5 and Xbox Series X ports have not been confirmed, but they are presumably in the pipeline as well.

"In Diablo IV, players will attempt to bring hope back to the world by vanquishing evil in all its vile incarnations -- from cannibalistic demon-worshipping cultists to the all-new drowned undead that emerge from the coastlines to drag their victims to a watery grave," reads an official pitch of the game. "For the first time in the series, Sanctuary will be a contiguous, seamless landmass comprising diverse regions ranging from the burning desert of Kejhistan, to the verdant werewolf-infested forests of Scosglen, to the harsh and rugged wilderness of the Dry Steppes."