Jump to content

Diablo IV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Diablo 4)

Diablo IV
Cover art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Blizzard Entertainment
Director(s)
  • Joe Shely
  • Sebastian Stepien
  • Luis Barriga[b]
Producer(s)Gavian Whishaw
Designer(s)
  • Angela del Priore
  • Zaven Haroutunian
Programmer(s)Jason Regier
Artist(s)John Mueller
Writer(s)Rafał Praszczałek
Composer(s)
  • Ted Reedy
  • Leo Kaliski
SeriesDiablo
Platform(s)
ReleaseJune 5, 2023
Genre(s)Action role-playing, hack and slash, dungeon crawl
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Diablo IV is a 2023 online-only action role-playing dungeon crawling game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth main installment in the Diablo series. Announced at BlizzCon 2019, the game was released on June 5, 2023 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S, and Microsoft Windows. Players create a character from one of six playable classes—Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, Sorcerer, or Spiritborn—and use their skills to complete quests through combat.

Staple features returned from previous installments in the franchise, such as a focus on replayable, procedurally generated dungeons and loot-focused character-building, while also featuring mechanics new to the series, including an open world and player versus player combat.

Diablo IV received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the game's narrative and atmosphere. The game generated $666 million in revenue within the first six days after launch; as of September 2024, it has surpassed one billion dollars in total revenue.[3] Its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, was released in October 2024.

Gameplay

[edit]

The core formula for the series' gameplay revolves around gradually obtaining stronger equipment by defeating increasingly difficult enemies.[4] Enemies are fought using different character class skills which can be customized by equipment and talent trees. This concept is used to progress through the story and quests.[5] Enemies are split into monster families which are defined by a theme, combat style, and their location.[6] Each family contains different archetypes that hold different roles allowing for synergies of specialty abilities between family members.[6] To differentiate between them, they have unique silhouettes, stances and weapons.[7]

Creative director Sebastian Stepien explained that the goal was to create a more "grounded" story than Diablo III.[8] In order to achieve this, the plot revolves around the simple folk of Sanctuary rather than "politics, kings, or another high-fantasy theme."[8]

The playable character's effectiveness in combat is determined by their attributes and their boosts from equipped items.[9] Offensive attributes include attack and critical chance which increase damage output. Defensive stats include elemental resistance and defense which increase how much damage can be taken.[10] Diablo IV introduces three new attributes: Angelic, Demonic, and Ancestral Power. Angelic and Demonic Power alter the duration of beneficial and negative effects respectively. Ancestral Power increases the chance of effects being applied to another entity.[11] Weapons and gear have increasing rarity which are a general indicator of their power. The rarest items have unique effects that alter more than just the character's parameters.[12] In an interview with lead game designer Joe Shely and senior producer Tiffany Wat, it was revealed that trading and crafting will be available in the game but will be limited to resources outside of the most powerful items.[13] Limited-time seasons return to the game, which alter legendary powers to shift the meta-game.[14][clarification needed]

Microtransactions are included in the form of cosmetic items.[15] The game cannot be played offline and requires an internet connection.[16]

The player's viewpoint is an overhead isometric view, as opposed to third person or first person view.

Character classes

[edit]
The Barbarian, Sorcerer, and Druid classes in the game's demo

Six classes have been announced. The Barbarian, Sorcerer, and Druid were announced at BlizzCon 2019,[17] while a fourth, the Rogue, was announced at BlizzCon 2021. A fifth class, the Necromancer, was announced in 2022. A sixth class, the Spiritborn, comes with the expansion pack, Vessel of Hatred, which was released in 2024.

  • The Barbarian, which appears in Diablo II and Diablo III, has the ability to switch between weapons while in combat.
  • The Sorcerer, returning from the first game and Diablo II, is an elemental mage-type character wielding fire, ice, and lightning magic.
  • The Druid, returning from Diablo II, can shapeshift between human, werewolf, and werebear forms, and possesses earthen and storm magic.
  • The Rogue, returning from the first game, is a quick-moving combatant that alternates between bladed melee or ranged combat with a bow.
  • The Necromancer, returning from Diablo II and Diablo III, utilizes dark magic for summoning and attacks.[18]
  • The Spiritborn, an entirely new class, calls upon the unique strengths of four spirit guardians (the centipede, eagle, gorilla, and jaguar).

Character appearance is customizable rather than being tied to a class. These include choosing a character portrait and the skin color of their character.[19] Mount appearances can also be customized.[19] Skill trees exist, allowing for ability customization.[20]

Environment

[edit]

Players are able to traverse through six regions within the Diablo series' world of Sanctuary.[21]

  • The Fractured Peaks are snowy mountains that have deep cave systems.[20]
  • Scosglen is a forested coastal area, home to druids, werewolves, and drowned-type enemies.[20]
  • The Dry Steppes consist of withered plains so harsh that the inhabitants have turned to cannibalism.[6]
  • Kehjistan is a war-ravaged desert wasteland containing the ruins of a once-prosperous civilization.[20]
  • Hawezar is home to witches, and has a swamp-type setting.[22]
  • Nahantu encompasses verdant jungles teeming with dangerous wildlife.

Hell is also a playable area.[23] Procedurally generated dungeons are included, and consist of random layouts of interior and exterior environments.[21] Dungeons are separately instanced, therefore non-party players will not appear.[24] Sanctuary is a fixed area, therefore it does not have the procedurally-generated maps seen in the game's dungeon.[22][better source needed]

The game world is an open world setting; traveling between different regions or dungeons has no loading screens.[25] Additionally, each region can be completed in any order as decided by the player. In order to support these new changes, enemies are scaled to the player (or the party leader in multiplayer) and the story is non-linear.[26] Hardcore mode is present in the game.[27] Select areas within each region have player interactions restricted until sufficient milestones in the story are reached, and such progress will be synced to that of the party leader.[26] Over-world areas have non-party player interactions such as PVP, and boss events that passing players can join.[28][29] Player population in the world will shift depending on the area. Large settlements will display large populations, and to enforce a sense of desolation, more wild zones will change the number of players shown to others.[21]

When questioned about Diablo IV's atmosphere, ex-game director Luis Barriga stated: "We want users to feel like they're in a medieval city."[30] For the first time in the series, all assets are standard 3D game assets and terrain has elevation. This allows for in-game cinematics, and environment interaction.[31]

Synopsis

[edit]

Setting

[edit]

Set in the Diablo series' world of Sanctuary, Diablo IV takes place 50 years after the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.[32][31][33] Cultists have summoned the main antagonist and daughter of Mephisto, Lilith (Caroline Faber).[34] After the events of previous games, the forces of demons and angels have been depleted, allowing an opening for her to establish power in Sanctuary.[35][36]

Thousands of years before the game's events, Lilith and the angel Inarius (Gabe Kunda) created the realm of Sanctuary to provide refuge for those who wished to escape the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. This demon-angel relationship led to the birth of the Nephalem, a race that the protagonist falls under; neither Angel nor Demon, but a distinct combination of both. Those in Sanctuary believed that this power would bring attention to their shelter and, as a result, the inhabitants spoke of destroying them. Lilith, not wanting her children to be killed, destroyed any that opposed her, causing Inarius to banish her to the void.[37][38][39]

Plot

[edit]

The player character, known as "the Wanderer", is drugged by villagers corrupted by Lilith and fed petals of her blood, creating a connection to her. After escaping, the Wanderer meets Lorath Nahr (Ralph Ineson), one of the last Horadrim (returning from Diablo III: Reaper of Souls) and explains the prophecy of Lilith's return. Inarius believes he alone can fulfill the prophecy by killing Lilith, which will allow him to return to Heaven. Aided by a young woman named Neyrelle (Judy Alice Lee), the Wanderer enters the sanctum of Rathma, the first Nephalem and founder of the Necromancers. Inside, Rathma's spirit (Scott Whyte) reveals he had a key to Hell. When Inarius demands the key from him, Rathma refuses, and Inarius kills him; Lilith later finds the key. The Wanderer then journeys to Scosglen to meet another Horadrim named Donan (James Goode), who had defeated a demon called Astaroth (David Lodge) with the aid of two Druids years before. Lilith corrupts the two Druids to find Astaroth's prison and frees him, in exchange for safe passage through Hell. Astaroth possesses Donan's son Yorin (Thierry Mabonga), who dies when the demon is defeated. Donan recovers the Soulstone used to trap Astaroth, and prepares to alter it in order to trap Lilith.

Rejoining Lorath in the Dry Steppes, the Wanderer pursues Lorath's former apprentice Elias (Anthony Howell), who summoned Lilith to Sanctuary. Though Elias cannot be killed, the Wanderer and Lorath retrieve an artifact called the Sightless Eye to discover Lilith's plan: To summon the Lesser Evils to empower humanity against the Prime Evils. She also intends to consume the essence of her father Mephisto (Steve Blum) while he is weak, and use his power to conquer Hell. Elias uses a witch named Taissa (Cherise Boothe) as a vessel to summon Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish, who is defeated by the Wanderer. Seeking to break Elias' immortality, the Wanderer and the Horadrim journey to the swamps of Hawezar. Elias had claimed knowledge from an enchanted "Tree of Whispers", but failed to pay the price – his own head – for that knowledge. Learning that Elias has contained his life essence in his own severed finger, the Wanderer destroys it, before finally defeating Elias; the spirits of the Tree then claim Elias' head.

From the Tree, Lorath learns of a gateway to Hell beneath the city of Caldeum, opened using Rathma's key. In Caldeum, the Wanderer defeats another reformed Lesser Evil, Duriel, the Lord of Pain. Inarius goes ahead into Hell to confront Lilith, who kills him. Donan is mortally wounded, and Lorath remains behind, leaving the Wanderer and Neyrelle to pursue Lilith to Mephisto's Cathedral of Hatred. Mephisto himself, having appeared as a bloodied wolf throughout the Wanderer's journey, urges them to focus on Lilith, but Neyrelle chooses to use the Soulstone to contain Mephisto instead, believing him to be the greater threat. The Wanderer then faces Lilith and defeats her. As she dies, Lilith warns that without her, there could be no victory over the Prime Evils.

With both creators of Sanctuary dead, the party returns home. Neyrelle ventures off on her own with the Soulstone, knowing the Prime Evils are coming, and hoping to find a way to defeat them for good.

Development

[edit]

Diablo IV was announced on November 1, 2019, at BlizzCon 2019, and was planned to be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[40][41] Development of the PC and console builds happened simultaneously.[6] Diablo IV's game director was Luis Barriga, who worked on Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, and World of Warcraft: Legion.[42][43][26] Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Ybarra stated that Diablo IV took more than 6 years to develop.[44]

Game designer Jesse McCree stated that the aesthetic of the game was inspired by that of heavy metal.[45] Their artistic direction tried to achieve an aesthetic between that of the second and third game in the series, with the darkness of Diablo II and the hand-painted feel of Diablo III and medieval fine art.[46] John Mueller, Diablo IV's art director, has stated that both the old masters and more modern artists, such as Frank Frazetta and Gerald Brom, serve as inspiration for the game.[47] The development team drew on past editions of Diablo to design characters. For example, the Rogue was intended to capture the high dexterity gameplay of the second game's Assassin and the third game's Demon Hunter.[48]

As of July 2021, Barriga and McCree were no longer employed at Blizzard following the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard lawsuit.[49][50][51]

Following the departure of interim co-lead Jen Oneal, Blizzard announced that Diablo IV would not be released in 2022, citing high employee turnover.[52] Blizzard further announced that the game would be monetized by selling cosmetic items and its season pass, as opposed to selling item upgrades like in Diablo Immortal.[53] On June 12, 2022, a 2023 release was announced.[41] During The Game Awards 2022 event, Blizzard announced that the game would release on June 6.[54] Subsequently Blizzard clarified that it would be released on starting on June 5, with early access starting on June 1, depending on time zone.[55]

Users of the open beta have reported issues with playing on a Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card with has resulted in the game running poorly with frequent overheating and crashing. Some users have reported that the game has caused their graphics card to stop working.[56] Both Blizzard and Nvidia reported in March 2023 that they were working to resolve the issue.[57]

On January 15, 2024, Microsoft Gaming announced that Diablo IV will be added to Game Pass on March 28, 2024.[58]

Marketing and release

[edit]

Before the announcement, there was evidence for an imminent announcement in a description for a Diablo artbook.[59] In celebration of the Diablo IV announcement, BlizzCon 2019 virtual ticket holders received a set of in-game cosmetic wings based on the wings of Lilith.[60] The game was promoted at The Game Awards 2022 with a new trailer and a performance of "Lilith" by singer Halsey.[61]

Blizzard Entertainment has announced open access beta weekend for Diablo IV, from March 17–19 in early access for those who have pre-ordered the game, and March 24–26 for everyone.[62] On April 20, Blizzard Entertainment announced the second open access beta weekend for Diablo IV, known as the "Server Slam", this time from May 12–14.[63]

Blizzard Entertainment announced on June 1, 2023 the "Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)" music video by Halsey and Suga from BTS. It was released on June 5.[64][65]

Vessel of Hatred

[edit]

Diablo IV's first expansion pack, Vessel of Hatred, was announced at BlizzCon 2023.[66] It is set in the region of Nahantu and features a new playable class, the Spiritborn. The expansion pack was released on October 8, 2024.[67][68][69]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]

Diablo IV received "generally favorable" reviews for the Windows and PlayStation 5 versions, and "universal acclaim" for the Xbox Series X version, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[70][71][72] Windows Central called Diablo IV "Blizzard's magnum opus" and "Blizzard's most important, pivotal game since World of Warcraft, exceeding all expectations."[90] The game was praised for its atmosphere, storytelling, visuals, level design, and overall improvements to the gameplay over its predecessor. Travis Northup of IGN called it "a spectacular sequel". He commended the gameplay, improvements made over Diablo III, and the uniqueness and customization options of the character classes, but criticized the repetition in the game's opening act, and some technical issues.[79] PCGamesN praised the visuals and aesthetic, writing "It's creepy, yet somehow beautiful".[82] While liking the endgame, Ars Technica felt the skill trees presented fewer options for upgrades than in Diablo III.[91]

Alessandro Barbosa of GameSpot wrote that the game's story was "moving and engrossing", particularly praising the handling of Lilith, the game's main antagonist. Barbosa thought that the game put a larger emphasis on companions than in previous Diablo installments, and highlighted the moment-to-moment action of the game as one of its strongest points. However, he criticized the boss fights in some of the game's more common dungeons for lacking in complexity, calling them less interesting than those encountered in the main story.[77]

Polygon disliked the dungeon-crawling aspect of the game, feeling that it became repetitive fairly quickly, saying "The procedurally generated dungeons don’t vary much in layout and feel like missed opportunities to have fun with randomized architecture".[92] VG247 praised the game's soundtrack as "exceptional; equal parts haunting and daunting, just like its traumatised world".[88]

Sales

[edit]

On June 6, 2023, Blizzard Entertainment announced that Diablo IV became the fastest-selling game in Blizzard Entertainment's history.[93] Diablo IV generated $666 million in revenue within the first five days after launch,[94] and reached 12 million players by August 2023.[95]

The PlayStation 5 version of Diablo IV was the second bestselling retail game during its first week of release in Japan, with 24,375 physical units being sold. The PlayStation 4 version sold 8,524 units in Japan throughout the week and was ranked at number five on the weekly all-format video game sales chart. In total, Diablo IV sold 41,839 retail units across all platforms during its first week of release in Japan.[96]

Awards

[edit]
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2023 Golden Joystick Awards Ultimate Game of the Year Nominated [97]
PC Game of the Year Nominated
Best Multiplayer Game Nominated
The Game Awards 2023 Best Multiplayer Game Nominated [98]
Innovation in Accessibility Nominated
The Steam Awards Best Game on Steam Deck Nominated [99][100]
2024 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Online Game of the Year Won [101][102]
Role-Playing Game of the Year Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Nominated
22nd Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
(Lilith)
Nominated [103]
24th Game Developers Choice Awards Game of the Year Honorable mention [104]
Best Audio Honorable mention
Best Technology Honorable mention
Best Visual Art Honorable mention
20th British Academy Games Awards Artistic Achievement Nominated [105][106]
Multiplayer Nominated
Music Longlisted [107]
Narrative Longlisted

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Additional development by Lost Boys Interactive.[1]
  2. ^ Barriga stepped down from his role as creative director in August 2021, due to allegations of discrimination and sexual harassment, and was later fired by Activision Blizzard.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "More Embracer Group cuts revealed as Lost Boys Interactive hit with "massive" layoffs". Neowin. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  2. ^ McWhertor, Michael (August 11, 2021). "Director and Lead Designer of Diablo IV leaves Blizzard". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Saed, Sherif (September 16, 2024). "Diablo 4 made over 1 billion dollars so far, and $150 million of that from those exorbitantly priced skins". VG247. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Salter, Alexander William; Stein, Solomon (March 1, 2016). "Endogenous currency formation in an online environment: The case of Diablo II". The Review of Austrian Economics. 29 (1): 53–66. doi:10.1007/s11138-014-0289-1. ISSN 1573-7128. S2CID 189953028.
  5. ^ "Diablo 4 Will Bring Back Talent Trees And Rune Words To The Series". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d "Diablo 4's Creepy New Cannibal Enemies Are Fast And Hungry". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Diablo 4 is getting couch co-op and unique monster families". VideoGamer.com. February 27, 2020. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "BlizzCon 2019 Diablo IV: World and Lore Panel Transcript – Page 2 of 7 –". Blizzplanet | Diablo III. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Diablo 4: All about the loot system & statistics – Millenium". Millenium US. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Brown, Fraser (December 4, 2019). "Diablo 4 is introducing new stats and getting rid of Ancient items". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Gilliam, Ryan (December 3, 2019). "Diablo 4 will lose Ancient Legendaries, make items more complex". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Tassi, Paul. "Blizzard Explains Diablo 4's Loot System, And It Sounds Really Good". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Diablo IV Community Group Q&A". Diablo IV Community Group Q&A. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Diablo 4 Is Adding New Elements And Bringing Back Old Ones In An Attempt To Be More Replayable". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Diablo 4 will have cosmetic microtransactions". PCGamesN. November 8, 2019. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Blizzard is making Diablo 4 online only, but solo play is available". VG247. November 3, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  17. ^ Senior, Tom (February 26, 2020). "Everything we know about Diablo 4". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Diablo 4 Debuting in 2023, Necromancer Revealed as Final Class". June 12, 2022. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Diablo 4 adds customizable skin tones and faces". Polygon. November 2019. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  20. ^ a b c d "The biggest changes coming to Diablo 4". Polygon. November 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c Wilde, Tyler (November 2, 2019). "Here's how Diablo 4's shared world works". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Diablo IV: World & Lore Panel Recap". Diablo IV: World & Lore Panel Recap. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  23. ^ "BlizzCon 2019 Diablo IV: World and Lore Panel Transcript – Page 5 of 7 -". Blizzplanet | Diablo III. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  24. ^ "BlizzCon 2019 Diablo IV Systems and Features Panel Transcript – Page 4 of 7 -". Blizzplanet | Diablo III. November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Diablo 4 won't have loading screens between dungeon levels". PCGamesN. November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  26. ^ a b c "Diablo 4's open world is "shared" with other players "variable by location"". PCGamesN. November 4, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  27. ^ Pepito, Christan (November 4, 2019). "Diablo IV To Have Extensive Customization, Release Not Soon". Sirus Gaming. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  28. ^ "Diablo 4's world bosses are ready and able to smash player faces". Blizzard Watch. November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  29. ^ Palumbo, Alessio (December 7, 2019). "Blizzard Is Testing 'Interesting New Approaches' to PvP for Diablo IV". Wccftech. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  30. ^ "Diablo 4 will not have rainbow unicorns and barbarians in pink rabbit suits | GamexGuide.com". Gamex. December 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Blizzard explains how Diablo IV is different from Diablo III". VentureBeat. November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  32. ^ Diablo [@Diablo] (April 12, 2023). "These are the dark events that led to Lilith's return in #DiabloIV" (Tweet). Retrieved June 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "BlizzCon 2019 Diablo IV: World and Lore Panel Transcript – Page 5 of 7 -". Blizzplanet | Diablo III. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  34. ^ "BlizzCon 2019: Who Is Diablo 4's Villain, Lilith?". November 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  35. ^ "Diablo IV announced at BlizzCon 2019". November 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  36. ^ "Diablo 4 – Blizzard on the Return to Darkness, Lilith, and the Shift to an Open-World Sanctuary". AusGamers.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  37. ^ Bosman, Frank G.; Poorthuis, Marcel (2015). "Nephilim: The Children of Lilith. The Place of Man in the Ontological and Cosmological Dualism of the Diablo, Darksiders and Devil May Cry Game Series". Online – Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet. 7. doi:10.11588/rel.2015.0.18506. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  38. ^ Cain, Deckard (2016). Book of cain. [Place of publication not identified]: Insight Editions Incredib. ISBN 978-1-60887-802-4. OCLC 944380537.
  39. ^ Knaak, Richard A. (2007). Diablo: the sin war. book 2, Scales of the serpent. London: Pocket Star Books. ISBN 978-0-7434-7123-7. OCLC 84996925.
  40. ^ "Blizzard Announces Diablo IV". Kotaku. November 2019. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  41. ^ a b Peters, Jay (June 12, 2022). "Diablo IV will bring the blood waves in 2023". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  42. ^ perculia. "Legion Summit Recap: Interviews on Combat Visuals, World Quests, Professions, Content Pacing and More!". Wowhead (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  43. ^ "The Past, Present, And Future Of Diablo". Kotaku Australia. November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  44. ^ Mike Ybarra [@Qwik] (May 29, 2023). "[...] @Diablo IV has been in development for a long time at Blizzard – over 6 years. Many hard decisions, challenges, and opportunities with the team's (and Studio's) journey in bringing this to release. [...]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
  45. ^ "Diablo 4's concept art has an Exorcist reference". PCGamesN. November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  46. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (February 19, 2021). "Blizzard on Diablo 4's Rogue and how PvP works within the open world". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021.
  47. ^ "'Diablo IV': The devil is in the details". June 6, 2023.
  48. ^ Gilliam, Ryan (February 19, 2021). "Diablo 4's classes are all unique, and that starts with the Rogue". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  49. ^ Gach, Ethan (August 11, 2021). "Jesse Mcree, Diablo 4 Director No Longer At Activision Blizzard". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  50. ^ Mackovech, Sam (August 11, 2021). "More Blizzard staff leaves after CA state lawsuit, including 'Cosby Suite' members". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  51. ^ Gach, Ethan (August 12, 2021). "Overwatch League Casters Stop Saying McCree's Name". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  52. ^ Orland, Kyle (November 3, 2021). "Blizzard delays Diablo IV, Overwatch 2 amid exec departure". Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021. Oneal's sudden departure came just before Blizzard announced it is "planning for a later launch... than originally envisaged" for two of its most anticipated games: Diablo IV and Overwatch 2. Neither title will be released in 2022, the company said
  53. ^ Welsh, Oli (August 18, 2022). "Blizzard really wants you to know that there's no pay-to-win in Diablo 4". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  54. ^ Good, Owen S. (December 8, 2022). "Diablo 4 launches June 2023, Blizzard confirms". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  55. ^ "Diablo IV launches soon – here's what you need to know". Blizzard.com. May 25, 2023. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  56. ^ "Blizzard and Nvidia investigating reports Diablo 4 is killing RTX 3080 Ti GPUs". PC Gamer. March 24, 2023. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  57. ^ "Diablo 4 beta players report GPU issues, Blizzard investigating". Eurogamer. March 24, 2023. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  58. ^ Parrish, Ash (February 15, 2024). "Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Game Pass in March". The Verge. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  59. ^ "Diablo 4 confirmed again in official art book, BlizzCon 2019 reveal expected". Metro. October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  60. ^ Gilliam, Ryan (November 22, 2019). "Diablo 3 season 19 starts today — with two new patches". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  61. ^ Shutler, Ali (December 9, 2022). "Watch Halsey perform 'Lilith' at The Game Awards 2022". NME. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  62. ^ Brendan Lowry (April 20, 2023). "Diablo 4 Server Slam beta: How to play, download, release date, and more". Windows Central. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  63. ^ Northup, Travis (April 20, 2023). "Diablo 4 Announces Final Beta Test, Confirms It Will Include Gameplay Updates". IGN. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  64. ^ "BTS' Suga and Halsey star in 'Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)': See the trailer of upcoming music video". The Economic Times. June 2, 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  65. ^ Diablo [@Diablo] (June 1, 2023). ".@halsey ft. #SUGA of @BTS_twt | Lilith | June 5th #DiabloIV" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
  66. ^ "Diablo 4's first expansion is Vessel of Hatred and it's coming in late-2024". VG247. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  67. ^ "Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred Release Date and Details". IGN. June 10, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  68. ^ "Prepare to Embody the Spiritborn – Pre-Purchase Vessel of Hatred". Blizzard Entertainment. June 9, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  69. ^ "Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion release date announced at Xbox showcase". Polygon. June 9, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  70. ^ a b "Diablo IV for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  71. ^ a b "Diablo IV for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  72. ^ a b "Diablo IV for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  73. ^ "Diablo IV Reviews – OpenCritic". OpenCritic. May 30, 2023. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  74. ^ Monbleau, Timothy (May 30, 2023). "Review: Diablo 4". Destructoid. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  75. ^ Moss, Gabriel (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review: A bold new step for hack-n-slash RPGs". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  76. ^ Romano, Sal (May 31, 2023). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1800". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  77. ^ a b Barbosa, Alessandro (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 Review – Mother Knows Best". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  78. ^ West, Josh (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review: 'A magnificent and absurd loot theme park'". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  79. ^ a b Northup, Travis (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  80. ^ Brown, Andy (May 30, 2023). "'Diablo 4' review: diary of a necromancer". NME. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  81. ^ Colp, Tyler (June 10, 2023). "Diablo 4 review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  82. ^ a b Bergin, Lauren (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review – Hail Lilith, the darkness has returned". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  83. ^ Greenwald, Will (June 2, 2023). "Diablo IV – Review". PCMag. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  84. ^ Adam, Khayl (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 Review (PS5)". Push Square. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  85. ^ Broadwell, Josh (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review: A new perspective on a familiar hell". Shacknews. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  86. ^ Reuben, Nic (June 1, 2023). "Diablo 4 review – a hell of a good time?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  87. ^ Middler, Jordan (May 30, 2023). "Review: Diablo 4 is Blizzard back at its best". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  88. ^ a b Makar, Connor (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review". VG247. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  89. ^ James, Ford (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review – Hell yeah". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  90. ^ Corden, Jez (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review: This might be Blizzard's magnum opus". Windows Central. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  91. ^ Zimmerman, Aaron (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 review: Off to a hell of a good start". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  92. ^ Ong, Alexis (May 30, 2023). "Diablo 4 activates and frustrates my lizard brain". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  93. ^ "Diablo® IV Launches, Immediately Sets New Record as Blizzard Entertainment's Fastest-Selling Game of All Time". www.businesswire.com. June 6, 2023. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  94. ^ Isaac, Mike (June 12, 2023). "Diablo IV Breaks Blizzard Records, Surpassing '$666 Million' in Sales". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  95. ^ GamingLyfe.com (August 22, 2023). "Diablo IV Unveils Season of Blood Featuring Actress Gemma Chan at Gamescom 2023". G-LYFE Nation – Gaming News, Esports News, Gaming Community. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  96. ^ Romano, Sal (June 15, 2023). "Famitsu Sales: 6/5/23 – 6/11/23 [Update]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  97. ^ Loveridge, Sam (November 12, 2022). "Golden Joystick Awards 2023: UGOTY voting is now live". GamesRadar+. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  98. ^ Fanelli, Jason (November 13, 2023). "The Game Awards 2023 Nominees Announced, See Them All Now". GameSpot. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  99. ^ "The Steam Awards 2023 shortlist has been revealed – here's what Steam players think are 2023's best games". Eurogamer.net. December 16, 2023. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  100. ^ Dicarlo, John (January 2, 2024). "Steam Announces Winners of 2023 Steam Awards". Game Rant. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  101. ^ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists Revealed". www.interactive.org. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  102. ^ Chandler, Sam (February 15, 2024). "The D.I.C.E. Awards 2024 winners & finalists". Shacknews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  103. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 16, 2024). "'The Creator' Leads Visual Effects Society Feature Competition With 7 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  104. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (March 20, 2024). "Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  105. ^ "Bafta Games Awards 2024: Baldur's Gate 3 and Spider-Man lead nods". BBC News. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  106. ^ "20th BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. March 7, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  107. ^ "The 60 Best Video Games of 2023". bafta.org. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. December 14, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
[edit]