Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of the popular action role-playing game Diablo 4, has revealed its plans to release new expansions for the game every year. The company’s general manager of Diablo, Rod Fergusson, confirmed this in an interview with Dexerto.
Diablo 4’s live service model
Fergusson said that Blizzard views Diablo 4 as a live service game that will be supported for “years and years” to come. He said that the company has plans and storylines that go well into the future, and that it will provide both free seasonal updates and paid annual expansions for the game.
“When you look at the launch of the game and this first season, we see that as building a foundation on which we can build for the future. So, as we look at our quarterly seasons, and we look at our annual expansions, those are the things that we’re really focused on for our live service,” Fergusson said.
He also said that Blizzard is working on multiple projects in parallel, and that it is already working on two expansions for Diablo 4. “Right now, as I sit here, we’re about to launch the main game, we’re finishing up season 1, we’re working on season 2, we’re working on expansion 1, we’re kicking off expansion 2, all that’s happening right now,” he said.
Diablo 4’s inspiration from Destiny 2
Blizzard’s live service model for Diablo 4 seems to be inspired by another successful action role-playing game, Destiny 2. Developed by Bungie, Destiny 2 also offers free seasonal updates and annual paid expansions, as well as a cosmetic item shop.
Blizzard has been following Bungie’s strategy for Diablo 4 for a while, with the exception of the seasonal character resets that are specific to this genre of games. Fergusson’s confirmation does not come as a big surprise, but it does show Blizzard’s ambition to make Diablo 4 a long-lasting and profitable game.
Diablo 4’s first expansion and second season
As for what to expect from Diablo 4’s first expansion, a new class seems like a likely addition. Blizzard has already introduced five classes in the main game: Barbarian, Druid, Rogue, Sorceress, and Necromancer. Fans of the series may hope to see either the Paladin from Diablo 2 or the Crusader from Diablo 3 return, or perhaps an entirely new class.
A confrontation with Lilith’s father Mephisto, one of the Prime Evils of the Diablo universe, is also possible. Mephisto was teased in the cinematic trailer for Diablo 4, and he may play a major role in the game’s story. Blizzard may reveal more details about the first expansion at November’s BlizzCon ahead of a 2024 release date.
Before that, however, Diablo 4’s second season will launch in October and will feature a vampire-themed storyline. Players will join Eris, a seasoned undead slayer voiced by Gemma Chan, who will assist them in hunting down bloodsuckers in Sanctuary. The second season will also introduce new items, quests, dungeons, and enemies.
Diablo 4 was released in June 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. The game received critical acclaim and commercial success, selling over 10 million copies in its first week. It is widely considered as one of the best games in the series and one of the best action role-playing games of all time.
