Today at BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment at long last announced Diablo IV, the fourth mainline iteration in the classic ARPG series. Above you can see the cinematic trailer dubbed By Three They Come.
The current game, Diablo III, in all of its colorful glory, was released back in 2012, and made its way to previous-gen consoles in 2013. This was followed in 2014 by the Reaper of Souls expansion, in which folks fought against Malthael, the angel of death. Another expansion was rumored to be in the works, dubbed Rise of the Necromancer, but it never came to pass.
For its part, Diablo IV will return to the darker origins of the series, showcasing a gothic, medieval version of Hell. Regarding the announcement, president of Blizzard Entertainment, J. Allen Brack, had this to say:
“Sanctuary has been a home to Diablo players for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announce Diablo IV today,”
“We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessential Diablo gameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”
In the gameplay trailer above, you can see the Barbarian, Sorceress, and Druid classes, the first ones revealed by the developer, all of which are playable in the early demo available to BlizzCon attendees.
The strength-focused Barbarian utilizes a new system called Arsenal, which allows him to quickly switch between four different weapons at a time, by assigning them to individual attacks. For her part, the Sorceress returns from Diablo II and makes use of the usual array of ice, fire, and lightning spells to subdue foes. Finally, the Druid can fluidly shapeshift between human, werewolf, and werebear, in order to best deal with the enemies at hand.
Beyond solo play, groups of folks will be able to encounter each other in the same shared world, either to participate in challenges or engage in PvP battles. Furthermore, players will also be able to finally traverse the now contiguous world of Sanctuary - the realm of mortals in Diablo - using personalized mounts.
Diablo IV is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, although Blizzard has not announced a release date or time frame.