We’ve not got a better idea of how Diablo IV will implement its seasonal model.
The cover story on this month’s issue of Game Informer explores a lot of new information about Blizzard’s upcoming ARPG sequel, but its the segement with associate game director Joe Piepiora that is of specific interest. Piepiora gets into the particulars of how Diablo IV‘s seasonal model will work.
As Gamespot reported, Piepiora stops short of using the word “expansion,” which is traditionally how Diablo games have supplemented their content over the years. Diablo III was the first to include a rolling seasonal ladder that saw players vieing for specific loot and sets to maximise their stats. It appears Diablo IV will expand on that, embracing something more akin to live-service games like Destiny 2. By this I mean, the plan is to drip-feed players a rolling story that plays out across quarterly updates, the way Destiny 2 does, and that each story step will revolve around new features or mechanics introduced in each update.
This is all separate from the seasonal battle pass, which has both a free and paid tier, and has already been controversial in its own right. Diablo IV will not begin its first season of content until sometime after launch in June.
This news will either sound entirely benign or be the final nail in the coffin, depending on your preferred brand of Diablo. I daresay those used to the Diablo III grind won’t be too ruffled by the idea of D4 expanding its live service model. The older guard, those that prefer the inscrutable maths and methodical grind of the much more self-contained D2 (and there are a lot of you) are likely less impressed.
The rest of the interview shed light on a few of the game’s other systems, like its new Helltide endgame content and Nightmare dungeons. You can read the full yarn right over here.
For more on Diablo IV, check out my open beta impressions right here.
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