It has been almost ten years since the release of Diablo III, which hit shelves all the way back in 2012. That was the fastest-selling PC game of all time, shipping 3.5 million copies within 24 hours of its release. It then went on to generate 30 million sales later down the line. It is no surprise that Blizzard Entertainment wants to keep this franchise going, and gamers are also desperate for future installments. Diablo IV is coming, but the agonizing wait looks set to continue for some time still.
Still Little Clarity on The Release Date
The next installment of the hugely successful Diablo franchise was announced by Blizzard Entertainment at BlizzCon 2019. Eagle-eyed fans had predicted the reveal was coming ahead of time, thanks to a teaser found in a Diablo art book. However, despite the reveal, there has been no confirmation about when players can expect to actually play the game. Because of the in-depth artistic design and complex gameplay mechanics, the development timeline could be a long process.
Diablo players have desperately pushed for the company to shed some light on the Diablo IV release date but, precious little has been revealed so far. The only thing that Blizzard Entertainment did confirm was that the game would not be released in 2021. This was contrary to what had been reported in Kotaku and, unsurprisingly, the news dismayed those who are eagerly awaiting it.
With previous reports stating that Diablo IV would be dropping in 2021, it would be fair to assume that the release date will be pushed back to 2022. If it is any longer than this, there may be some discord among the loyal fan base. Also, the longer Blizzard Entertainment waits, the greater expectations will be. This means, if it isn’t up to scratch, gamers will feel let down.
Will The Game be Worth The Wait?
With the Diablo franchise earning such a strong reputation over the years since the release of the first game in 1997, it is expected that the new title will be worth the wait. Players should be happy that Blizzard Entertainment wants to ensure the game is perfect before it hits consoles and PCs. This isn’t the first time that the company has held back a release either, with the Shadowlands expansion for World of Warcraft arriving months after its scheduled release last year.
Luckily for players eager to get their hands on the next edition of the series, some details about the next episode have been leaked already. It appears likely that Lilith will be the game’s boss. Diablo II players will remember her as the daughter of Mephisto. In addition to that, there will be a return of Druids, and Rogues have been added to the class list.
The good news is that Diablo IV is coming. The bad news is that nobody knows when. It would be reasonable to expect an early 2022 release, though, as there had previously been speculation that it would drop this year.
