Since its release, Diablo 4 has had a seasonal Battle Pass with rewards. The pass is always linear with a free and a paid path. Now, franchise head Rod Fergusson says that the system is outdated and that the team may already be planning something new.
This is what Diablo looks like right now:
- Like most modern service games, Diablo 4 has a classic Battle Pass that sparked controversies at release.
- By now, Diablo 4 has entered Season 7 and the Battle Pass has not changed since then: 90 levels on two paths with multiple tasks to progress faster.
- The Battle Pass system has existed since 2013 in Dota 2 and became popular in gaming at the latest since Fortnite. The head of Diablo believes: it’s time for something new.
This is what the boss says: In an interview with GameFile, Rod Fergusson, the General Manager for the Diablo franchise, talks about the future of Diablo 4 (via Game File, behind a paywall). He states:
We believe that Battle Passes are an outdated system. There are other ways to gamify and give players more to do. What I mean is: keep an eye out for us here. I think we will introduce interesting things.
Rod Fergusson
Fergusson also talks about a new direction regarding cosmetics. They are supposed to become “extravagant,” moving away from the “down-to-earth” skins that currently exist. However, whether this will be well received remains to be seen: the colorful season pass from Season 4 was not well received.
In addition, they want to explore more “crossover content.” Diablo has already tried this with several skins of famous Warcraft characters. What is planned here, the boss doesn’t elaborate further.
A new kind of Battle Pass: Shooters lead the way
Fergusson does not specify what a new Battle Pass could look like. However, he praises the Battle Pass from the past Call of Duty era. In Modern Warfare 2 and 3, there was no linear path.
Instead, you could choose areas, unlock them, and then work on specific rewards there. Rainbow Six: Siege operates similarly. Here, you unlock levels and choose on a map with rewards which path you want to take.
This kind of system allows for more freedom and also enables players with little time to get what they want without having to play through everything. And especially there are plenty of players with little time in Diablo 4.
When exactly the new Battle Pass will be released in Diablo 4 is not yet clear. However, it is possible that it is already planned for next season, as Blizzard unexpectedly has to work longer on it: Blizzard announces that Season 8 in Diablo 4 will start later and bring an “old friend” into the game.
