If and when Diablo III hits consoles, don't expect it to be a dumbed-down version of its PC big brother, as Blizzard is committed to ensuring that any port offers the same gameplay that helped make the franchise a resounding success.
In a recent interview with CVG, COO Paul Sams explained that although a console release has yet to be confirmed, it's still something the developer is seriously exploring, chiefly because the game seems like such a good fit for the platform.
"We think that the way we built it for the PC may need some tweaking, but it will ultimately be the type of game that can really make sense and be really fun, well polished and a true Blizzard-level experience on a console," he said
Though the company's titles have been seen on consoles in the past — third-party ports sent the original Diablo to the PlayStation and Starcraft to the Nintendo 64 — Blizzard has never been much for in-house console development, something Sams said has raised a lot of questions from the fans.
"We get a lot of questions about why we haven't made a game for consoles before and I tell them the same thing I tell them about business models: we don't let business models or platforms drive our decisions. Those are secondary to what's the most important aspect for us which is the gameplay.
"Same with the console; we don't decide up front that we want to make a console product. We just want to make a great game. If the best experience involves a mouse and a keyboard, we'll put it on PC. If it plays better with a controller, that's the route we'd take. If it works on both, and we don't have to make any meaningful alterations or compromises to the experience, we'd make it for both."
According to Sams, Diablo III fits that bill quite nicely, which is why the Blizzard has decided to make it their first foray into console development.
The specifics, including an expected launch window and potential platforms, have yet to be nailed down, but the company line on Diablo III for consoles has slowly gone from possibility to inevitability, so expect to hear quite a bit more about the port once the PC version launches on May 15.
