Diablo 4 Suffers A Serious Setback
Diablo 4 won't be seeing the light of day for a while.
This article is more than 2 years old
Activision Blizzard decided to postpone the release of the highly anticipated dungeon crawler RPG, Diablo 4. The reasons given are to provide development teams with more time to deliver the experience the gaming community deserves and set the franchise up for maximum success over a multi-year period. According to Activision Blizzard, both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 may not be released until 2023.
As reported by IGN, Activision Blizzard announced the delay of both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 during the company’s third-quarter investor earnings call. Blizzard stated that the company still plans to deliver a substantial amount of content in the following year but plans a later launch date for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 than initially envisioned. This somewhat indicates the games’ current development, given that Blizzard postponed the release dates for 2023 – effectively meaning that both titles were originally scheduled for a 2022 release. The company later confirmed that it had anticipated a financial uplift from the release of both titles in 2022, but that is no longer the case after the delay.
Per the same report, Activision Blizzard stated that both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 stand as two of the most eagerly anticipated titles in the industry and believes that providing extra time for development teams ensures that these releases delight and engage their respective communities for years in the future. And, admittedly, Blizzard might be right in this case. As disheartening as it may sound, one year of further development can significantly impact the end quality of the product, but no amount of patches can fix bad first impressions. First impressions are often the most crucial, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
With that said, Overwatch fans will get a preview of sorts of the new game’s rules next spring, with Overwatch League running on an “early build” of Overwatch 2’s new 5v5 competitive multiplayer mode. On the other hand, Diablo enthusiasts recently got Diablo 2: Resurrected – a remastered version of a 2000’s mega-hit Diablo 2. Unfortunately, the new remaster had a rocky launch, to say the least, with a noticeable number of players rage-quitting the game in protest of Blizzard’s extensive server connection issues. Some players even demanded refunds under the Sale of Goods Act 2015, stating that the game isn’t fit for the purpose many have purchased it for – and Blizzard issued refunds left and right.
In all honesty, Activision Blizzard has disclosed that Diablo 2: Resurrection’s final quality might be subpar due to massive strikes, work stoppages, and walkouts organized by its employees earlier this year in light of sexual harassment and gender discrimination lawsuits against the company. Said lawsuits prompted further investigations that, in turn, unearthed a myriad of social and ethical issues that plagued the company, resulting in massive layoffs, resignations, more lawsuits, and even more investigations.
It’s pretty possible that Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 delays stem from Activision Blizzard’s acknowledgment that the gaming community won’t simply put up with their continuous delivery of half-baked goods and questionable money-grabbing practices.
