In an interview, Diablo head Rod Fergusson reports that the team wants to create a game with Diablo 4 that people will play for a long time. Additional content like “Vessel of Hatred” should ensure that players always have something to do.
In Diablo 4, new seasons with fresh content are regularly introduced. The 6th season begins on October 8, coinciding with the release of the first expansion “Vessel of Hatred.” Such additional content is intended to keep players “engaged,” reports Diablo head Rod Fergusson in an interview with VGC. How long that works is hard to predict, as it ultimately depends on the community, Fergusson says.
This video summarizes what has happened in the story of Diablo 4 so far:
Diablo 4 is meant to keep players engaged for a long time
How does Blizzard plan to keep the game attractive? In an interview with VideoGamesChronicle, Diablo head Rod Fergusson states that the team wants to create a game with Diablo 4 that will be supported for years to come.
The team focuses on bringing additional content like “Vessel of Hatred” to strengthen the community and engage players. “It took a long time between Diablo 3 and Diablo 4, and we don’t want to go back there,” Fergusson explains. There are 11 years between the two games.
As early as 2019, the developers announced that Diablo 4 should be a game that represents the community for a very long time. They hinted at multiple expansions for the title.
The developers have learned that both the community and the industry change constantly. Fergusson explains in the interview:
But the big thing is that we want to let players know that we will support the game for many years – whether through seasons, expansions, or similar. We always plan to offer something for players to play.
I don’t see it as though we are making a clear statement like “Destiny” did when they decided, “we are a 10-year game,” and then quickly changed that. It’s hard to make such predictions for Diablo, because it really depends on where the players are and what they want.
Seasons are meant to not only keep the game fresh but also to allow for a fresh start. Fergusson emphasizes that players miss nothing if they skip seasons. Many of the new content is also brought to the “Eternal Realm” so that those players are not excluded.
The team has learned from player feedback and implemented some aspects of Diablo 4 differently than originally planned. One example is the revision and adjustment of monster density in the game.
What does this mean for the future of Diablo 4? Rod Fergusson states that it is exciting to receive feedback from the community and to learn how players are playing. The team implements feedback, brings it into the game, and then sees how players respond to it.
Gavian Whishaw, the executive producer of Vessel of Hatred, adds that receiving constant feedback in live service games and being able to improve the game is a significant advantage.
Diablo 4 is, objectively speaking, a better game than it was a year ago, says Whishaw in the interview. He notes that this is mainly due to the relationship the team has with the player base.
At gamescom 2024, we had the opportunity to talk with the two developers about Diablo 4 and class balancing. Here, Rod Fergusson also explained that the team has recognized that it is okay for certain things to ultimately work out differently than expected. Their goal is to provide fun for the players.
