Diablo 4 was one of the surprise reveals to come out of the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase last weekend, and now the team at Blizzard have shared some further insights into the upcoming ARPG. In a recent interview with Gamespot, the game’s director Joe Shely and the general manager of the Diablo franchise Rod Fergusson gave a bit more information on various aspects of Diablo 4, with Shely describing the dark action of the next installment of the Diablo series as “a love letter” to the game’s fans.
In the interview, Shely expands on the concept of the darker vibes that fans could see in the reveal trailer being a driving force in the creation of Diablo 4, explaining that the team has “really focused on this theme of returning to darkness.” In addition to discussing the greater level of choices that players can expect to have when it comes to character classes, the game’s director also clarified some details about Diablo 4’s main campaign.
According to Shely, the game’s campaign is about 35 hours long and will be open to players’ choices as a non-linear story. With Diablo 4 being open-world in design, the main narrative is there for players to pick up and drop as they see fit. However, it seems that the campaign has been designed with a lot of love for the Diablo fanbase.
You’re able to travel anywhere in the world, make decisions about what you want to do, whether you want to pursue the campaign, which is a 35-hour experience that is just brimming with story and characters that are really human and you can really connect with on an emotional level. We’ve worked really hard on the campaign in Diablo 4 and we’re really proud of how it’s developing.
Jo Shely, Game Director, Diablo 4
Diablo 4 is planned to launch in 2023, although there’s no confirmed release window as of yet. The game will be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.