A new job posting for a potential Diablo 4 shows a new direction for the franchise: Could Diablo 4 become an MMO or a game like Destiny?
“Such opportunities don’t come often,” begins a job listing from Blizzard.
The game studio is looking for a “Production Director” who will lead the Diablo franchise into the future. A Production Director is like the top manager of a series in gaming, responsible for organization and practical execution. He is the chief strategist and planner.
New Diablo leader should have MMO experience
A suitable candidate should be an experienced organizer with all the right skills. Blizzard knows what kind of job they offer: This is a job that can shape a career, believes Blizzard.
Blizzard also knows that there are only a few who can lead Diablo into the future and is trying to reach one of the few ideal candidates through the job listing.
The interesting thing is that among the many skills the new candidate should bring, there is also a bonus point: “Experience in developing massive multiplayer player experiences.” This is noted as a plus.
Job listing matches the rumors
Blizzard is not yet saying what kind of game it is exactly. They only talk about an “announced project” for the Diablo franchise.
This job listing fits the information we have about Blizzard’s planned new games:
- We know that Blizzard is developing at least one mobile title, an MMO with real-time strategy elements – probably in the Warcraft universe
- and we know they are developing an action game – Blizzard has been looking for people with “First-Person” experience since June, which is typically always a shooter
It is now reasonable to connect the new information about Diablo with the “action game”. With the new information, it could be that Blizzard is planning a game like Destiny – an action game with MMO and RPG elements, where players share a world. Diablo would be an ideal background for such a world – systems like loot or the torment level are already present.
However, it could also be that Diablo 4 is not designed as a shooter, but rather goes in a different direction that focuses more on RPG while retaining the hack ‘n slash style. The “MMO experience” would then be just a bonus point, perhaps to make the game overall broader and more social.
That Blizzard will change the formula of Diablo is almost certain: The problem with Diablo 3 is primarily the lack of content supply. This may be due to Blizzard having issues with monetization.
The initial concept with a real money auction house failed – monetizing Diablo 3 through expansions and DLC packs doesn’t seem to be the plan. Blizzard apparently cannot keep expanding Diablo 3 indefinitely – fans have been craving for more for years.
With €15 for a DLC, which in principle only consists of a new class, fans have been rather skeptical recently.
What lies ahead for Diablo? Lost Ark or Destiny?
A Diablo 4 that is equipped with strong MMO elements from the beginning could remedy this. The genre competition in Asia, such as Lost Ark, increasingly relies on MMORPG elements.
The future of the Diablo franchise currently seems open. Three possibilities arise:
- Will Diablo 4 remain true to its current hack ‘n slash concept? Perhaps going back to Diablo 2, as veterans would wish
- Will it head more towards MMORPG like Lost Ark – while maintaining the look of Diablo 3 but introducing more RPG elements and variety?
- Or will they actually try a direction as MMO action game like Destiny 2, perhaps even with shooter mechanics, to launch a title in this area?
Currently, these are still speculations, and likely speculations that will remain unanswered for a while. At Blizzcon 2017, there are expected to be no announcements regarding Diablo, but internally, work is being done on the future of the franchise.
Diablo 3: No news at BlizzCon 2017 – Also nothing regarding Diablo 4
