„We're focused on what players want.” Diablo brand manager has clear and far-reaching plans for Diablo 4
Rod Fergusson has very ambitious plans for Diablo 4. He itted that the game could be developed for at least another 10 years.
Last week, Blizzard presented the roap for The roap revealed the remaining seasons that will keep us engaged until the end of December and confirmed that the second game expansion will launch next year. The presented plan disappointed a lot of players to such an extent that the studio had to respond to the criticism and emphasize that it is not complete and will be updated over time.
However, it seems that Blizzard has really extensive plans for Diablo 4. Although the released roap only covers the year 2025, Rod Fergusson, the brand manager, along with his team, is already thinking about the entire next decade, which he discussed during the DICE Summit event (via Game File / Windows Central).
We're here for the long haul. We've been doing long-range planning recently. And I've created a roap—a 10-year roap…it was actually a 12-year [roap]—I can see this, this, this and this and all these different things that we can do, [which] is really inspiring. And it's really exciting. We're focused on what players want…I can't tell you much more than that.
On one hand, Fergusson's statement should reassure fans about the studio's commitment to Diablo 4. If Blizzard doesn't change plans along the way, the game should really stay with us for a long time. In this scenario, the only worry could be the potential for the fifth installment wouldn't be as long as it was for the fourth).
On the other hand, both titles could be developed simultaneously, just as Grinding Gear Games intends to do with its two installments of Path of Exile. Another thing is that so far they are doing average, taking into how long the current league in PoE 1has been going on.
Diablo 4, along with the Vessel of Hatred expansion, is available on PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, and XSX/S. The game (without the expansion) can also be played as part of the Game subscription.
