Dispair not, there is much hope for Diablo 3 after all

[SlickR]

It just struck me when visiting the diablo news section at org network. The news poster mentioned some thing from which he believes Diablo 3 may be in the works. The thing that that struck me is that he missed 1 big clue.
If you recall when there was 2-3 different rummors going about starcraft 2 being in development. Well at that time at the WOW: 1st expansion blizzard president cofirmed himself (i think there was a video somewhere) that there are 3 unannounced projects blizzard is working on, that is the time when he also tiped about starcraft 2 is most certantly to be revisited.
So after that time there were 2 games announced: First Starcraft 2 and now at latest Blizzcon WOW: wrath of the lich king expansion. So where is the third game? Thing is it will most likly be announced what that 3rd game is few months before Starcraft 2 ships. Ofcourse they wouldent want to mix up the feelings of fans now beacose they are making starcraft 2 and they want the most attention to it.
Ofcourse that third game can be WC4 or some completly new game, right?
-NO. If you see the releasing schedule for blizzard game you'll see that previosly it was starcraft universe turn and they did indeed announce starcraft 2, so now it's Diablo's universe turn.
The real question is will Diablo 3 be RPG, will it be 3rd person, first person, how similar would it to the curent game be and so on...

[Protogod]

You make a very good point. Everyone is just assuming its not coming becase something else was announced, even though theres still a question mark out there.

[Aqo]

Thing is, that question mark has been nailed to the wall for years already. It's bled out already by now.

[DarkGunner]

i dont think they would be working on d3 right now, as they already have sc2 and the wow expansion. Its just not...blizzard like

[BlackDefiler]

I don't think they would release a new Diablo while WOW is still so popular. Releasing Diablo now would make them race against themselves with two RPGs.

[Dayoh]

Its just not...blizzard like

Do u work there or something ;).

I think they are prolly working on a D2, its there choice when to announce it maybe there waiting for new technologies etc...

Releasing Diablo now would make them race against themselves with two RPGs.

If you put it that way D3 will never be released, seeing as Blizzard intends to take WoW as far as they can with it.

Now if blizzard wouldnt want to compete with its own games, why announce Sc2 when WC3TFT is still being playing on a Proffesional lvl.

[DoctorZettabyte]

I've read a news post somewhere (/. ?) about Blizz making a massive server purchase, three times as many than they have for WoW...sounds promising.
Also isn't there a few open ends at the end of D3? I haven't beaten the game yet, but I think it was something like that.
Final note...SlickR, you were way off the mark with SCII's announcement. You expected it to be a few weeks ago @ BlizzCon, or else sometime in Q3. You also stated that you had left here until then.
Just saying.

-DocTera

[BlackDefiler]

isn't there a few open ends at the end of D3? I haven't beaten the game yet

Yeah, you're not alone with that O.o

[Phenomenon]

Do u work there or something ;).

I think they are prolly working on a D2, its there choice when to announce it maybe there waiting for new technologies etc...



If you put it that way D3 will never be released, seeing as Blizzard intends to take WoW as far as they can with it.

Now if blizzard wouldnt want to compete with its own games, why announce Sc2 when WC3TFT is still being playing on a Proffesional lvl.

I agree with you that competing with their own games isnt really the issue IMO. MMO Diablo 3 is very likely if you ask me. And it probably won't cost WoW a great deal of subscribers, and after all, whatever WoW does lose would still be paying Blizzard, all the while the new MMO gets subs from people that stopped playing WoW and new customers etc.

MMO players tend to play on and off, if they are going to play another of your games in the WoW downtime thats a good thing.

There are a lot of companies that run multiple MMOs.

[Neo]

The server purchases happened a long while back, possibly now they are used to run WoW itself now that they have like 9 million some subscribers.

The thing is that Diablo III has to be in the works. Just because it wasn't announced doesn't really mean much.

Also the fact about the Diablo Book author mentioning that he isn't "writing for a dead universe" says a lot. It means that Diablo is still out there somewhere -- we just dont know when.

I'm also pretty confident that a World of Diablo is unlikely (or an MMORPG like WoW) since it would be kind of pointless. D2's game platform (running on battle.net and such) is pretty good as is, it would be nice to see a furthering of the storyline, deeper levels, etc... But maintain the same "feel" as D1/D2 where YOUR character ends up an "epic hero" able to "defeat the forces of darkness"

It would be a sad sad day to see a multiple party mmorpg raid type situation in the diablo universe =/

-Neo

[Phenomenon]

The server purchases happened a long while back, possibly now they are used to run WoW itself now that they have like 9 million some subscribers.

The thing is that Diablo III has to be in the works. Just because it wasn't announced doesn't really mean much.

Also the fact about the Diablo Book author mentioning that he isn't "writing for a dead universe" says a lot. It means that Diablo is still out there somewhere -- we just dont know when.

I'm also pretty confident that a World of Diablo is unlikely (or an MMORPG like WoW) since it would be kind of pointless. D2's game platform (running on battle.net and such) is pretty good as is, it would be nice to see a furthering of the storyline, deeper levels, etc... But maintain the same "feel" as D1/D2 where YOUR character ends up an "epic hero" able to "defeat the forces of darkness"

It would be a sad sad day to see a multiple party mmorpg raid type situation in the diablo universe =/

-Neo

D2 was a forerunner to WoW, quite honestly in terms of game mechanics and dynamic.

To not make the next Diablo-type game and MMO would be kinda silly because D2 is played almost like an MMO. There is an economy and some persistance and you form up and do stuff with random people. Only now the BNet lobby gets replaced with some form of town where people party up, see what I mean?

That doesn't mean Diablo will be raids etc just as it is with WoW, but you can almost bet your ass it will be an MMO.

[Neo]

D2 was a forerunner to WoW, quite honestly in terms of game mechanics and dynamic.

To not make the next Diablo-type game and MMO would be kinda silly because D2 is played almost like an MMO. There is an economy and some persistance and you form up and do stuff with random people. Only now the BNet lobby gets replaced with some form of town where people party up, see what I mean?

That doesn't mean Diablo will be raids etc just as it is with WoW, but you can almost bet your ass it will be an MMO.

I'm sorry, but this is one of the reasons that I never got into wow -- it seemed to have very little influence from Diablo II. To say it was a "precursor" isn't exactly right.

There are other games like D2 around that function just fine without having to be a MMORPG-style.

I really doubt that they would do that anyways, there is no reason for them to make fans choose -- and it is getting up there to almost 10 years. Diablo II was released in late '99 or 2000 I believe.

Yes diablo III would seem the perfect candidate for a WoW-Style MMORPG... but seriously. That would just be worthless. There are things that both Diablo 1 and 2 share that are important, and for it to go MMORPG like, it would ruin the atmosphere around Diablo.

Besides that, Sanctuary isn't exactly a "vast" area, you know?

I'm sure I could be wrong, and WoD could be possible... I just don't see how, but you have to also remember that there are a great majority of Diablo II players that still play Single Player -- or play mods.

An MMORPG setting would negate that rather large portion of the gaming base.

-Neo

[Dayoh]

I doubt D3 will be a MMO, Blizzard tend to keep there older games to thier roots (like SC).

D2 was a forerunner to WoW, quite honestly in terms of game mechanics and dynamic.

Oh yes, WoW is definantly D3 underneath the WC theme.
I wouldnt speculate over D3 too much now anyways, atleast wait until SC2 has a release date :P

[SlickR]

There are infinite reasons why Blizzard won't make every game or diablo 3 specifily a MMO. First thing is they are not a MMO company. Second thing is their games are beloved the way they are so blizzard would be nuts to make every game MMO. Third thing is making another MMO would be direct competition to WOW seeing as it is the most played MMO game out there and blizzard don't want to compete with their own games. Fourth thing is Diablo is RPG not a mmorpg. And so on.....

Another thing is that Blizzard are a lot larger company now, if they were only 50 people back in the 1995, they were 100 in 2000 and today are really big company so they wouldent wan't to concentrate at one game at a time like before which is also proved by their starcraft 2 announcment while they are working on WOW still.

[Phenomenon]

There are infinite reasons why Blizzard won't make every game or diablo 3 specifily a MMO. First thing is they are not a MMO company. Second thing is their games are beloved the way they are so blizzard would be nuts to make every game MMO. Third thing is making another MMO would be direct competition to WOW seeing as it is the most played MMO game out there and blizzard don't want to compete with their own games. Fourth thing is Diablo is RPG not a mmorpg. And so on.....

Another thing is that Blizzard are a lot larger company now, if they were only 50 people back in the 1995, they were 100 in 2000 and today are really big company so they wouldent wan't to concentrate at one game at a time like before which is also proved by their starcraft 2 announcment while they are working on WOW still.

Err blizzard is what the largest MMO company in the world now. They have the most subscribers by quite a margin. If they aren't an MMO company then what the hell are they? Sure they make other games too but the income from WoW simply dwarfs whatever they made on every previous title.

Warcraft 3 was a drastic departure from Warcraft 2. The games are not at all alike. Hell originally W3 was supposed to be even more RPG-ey.

And the next Diablo game might not be called Diablo 3, it might very well be World of Diablo or err something that sounds less dumb.

IRT Neo

Diablo and WoW are similar in the sense that you run around in small groups or solo killing monsters repetitively and pick up randomly dropped items in the hope of finding better stuff whilst gaining XP to get more skills. The basic gameplay is virtually identical. Sure there are further differences between the games, but the basics are the same.

Now Diablo as an MMO could very well be a bit more Guild Wars-ey in the sense that the towns are public areas and all outside areas are instanced. Then you have Diablo II without a BNet lobby but a town instead. Which is better btw, a BNet lobby is clumsy.

And what is more, Diablo 2 style game sells one copy, an MMO games sells the copy and gets you a subscription. MOAR MONEYS.

[Neo]

An online-only version of Diablo would alienate many fans, and I know Blizzard is out for money, but the fact is they've never been completely out of touch with the fans.

Not to mention with things like making it EASIER for modders to mod Diablo II and such, it would make little sense for them to depart from that and go mmo on us diablo II people.

An MMORPG might seem the next step for D2, but you have to remember that, as far as I'm concerned, there has been work on D3 since before WoW -- but after North shutdown, I personally believe it ended up on the back burner. For them to have been working on two mmo-style games at the same time seems folly.

Fyi: Blizzard has only like 86 people -- they are pretty small for a game publisher actually. This was mentioned in a panel @ blizzcon.

-Neo

[DoctorZettabyte]

I gotta say, Neo's hit the nail's proverbial head with this one...D3 as MMO would be almost rediculous. I love D2, especially for SP, and that 1 vs A Milliondy-thousand-bajillion monsters idea is really cool. Granted, it's so cool, I'm not paying $15 a month to play it.
That's the thing that's always stopped me from playing such games as WoW, CoH, and all the other first-party MMO's. They cost too much. $25 a year is reasonable, but $15 a month? Blech. Even then, I'm not a fan of smaller MMO's because there isn't enough variety, depth, and people to play.
But back to D3. There is a bit of open ended-ness, as I am told, and the novels leave a few cliffhangers (don't they?). Blizz could build a plot out of that, and it would be just $50 to play once and forever. And we could all kill Diablo together on B.Net again for free.

-DocTera

[Neo]

I've been thinking that, either a storyline set after act5 would be interesting, or, instead of that, a prequel set during the Sin Wars. That would make for an interesting game imo.

However, I would like to know what happens to Sanctuary with the destruction of the Worldstone.

-Neo

[DoctorZettabyte]

Yes, the prequel idea could have an entire series (or at least a game or two) devoted to the Sin Wars.

After Act 5? I don't have an Act 5, but I do know you kill Baal. Build somehting off of the lesser evils, like Andarial and Duriel?

-DocTera

[Kellanved]

Build somehting off of the lesser evils, like Andarial and Duriel?

Something like that gives far less epic a feel to playing that game. People who pick up the game and have never played its predecessors see the title and say 'Wow, I'm going to fight the fucking devil!!! Wait... what is this naked Kerrigan doing on my screen?'

WoW to Diablo 2 is just like Warcraft 3 to Starcraft. In diablo and starcraft, everything is fast paced; you have to be on your edge and really go about handling the enemy with tactics (yes, even in Diablo 2 where things like positioning and hoarding monsters through small spaces count). Killing is quick, and so is dying. WoW is just... slow. In fact a battle in WoW is just like a battle in Warcraft 3 (but even slower).

Plus in Diablo 2, you spend a whole of 2 minutes in the town (or 5 seconds if you're just replaying the act) and the entirety of your game out there, fighting and equipping. In WoW and other MMOs there's WAAAAAY too much city exploring, finding where everything is, getting your player some exercise (because the auction house is the other end of town from the residential); it's just bullshit.

The point is: RPG Hack'n'Slash >>> MMORPG

[Neo]

Technically their are 2 lesser evils we've not seen, so who knows what they are up to.

-Neo

[DoctorZettabyte]

Picking their noses and flicking the boogers off as Fallen and Fetishes. Damn little buggers.

-DocTera

[vIsitor]

I believe that Azmodan and Belial are still at each-other's throats, although Diablo's (brief) return to Hell likely halted their infighting, at least temporarily.

And remember, it is implied that Andariel and Duriel remain, merely having been 'banished back to the burning hells' as Drognan put it. Thats enough for four acts, certainly.

[Serban]

Is it just me, or do Blizzard release a massive revolution game in the specific game-universe every 10 years?
I'm not sure that was said clearly enough. Look:
1994 - Warcraft I
2004 - World of Warcraft

1998 - Starcraft
2008 (maybe?) - Starcraft II

1999 - Diablo II
2009 (maybe?) - Diablo-universe game...

Of course, I could be wrong... <.>

[Anoiktos]

To the above poster: You're correlating war1 with WOW, and somehow not Diablo1 with D3?

Frankly, I'm sure Blizzard intends to revisit the Diablo universe. I also think that their next announcement is *more likely* to be a new IP; mythos, hellgate:london, and Dungeon Runners are all very similar to Diablo. (and the first two were made by its original creators), so I'd be unsurprised if they elected to wait a few more years before dealing with Diablo III.

Of course, now that I've said this, it's as good as done that they've already started D3, as I'm always wrong.

[BludSyko]

I believe I heard that they started making Starcraft 2 right after WoW, but they didn't announce it until the last month or so. They could be making D3 right now or after SC2 is done and we won't know about it for quite some time.

There was also another website that said SC2 is coming out December 30, 2007. I don't know if Bliz confirmed this or not.

Btw, if you ever go into the SC forum and compare SC to WC3, you'll get your ass chewed out. Kinda touchy ppl there.

[Anoiktos]

Btw, if you ever go into the SC forum and compare SC to WC3, you'll get your ass chewed out. Kinda touchy ppl there.
It's a forum populated by part the battle.net crowd more interested in flaunting their superiority or discussing the game than playing it. (and with the social dynamics that the post-WOW blizzard fan crowd implies.) Of course they're going to be unreasonably touchy.

[Protogod]

There was also another website that said SC2 is coming out December 30, 2007. I don't know if Bliz confirmed this or not.

Complete and utter bullshit, btw. There is NO announcement saying when sc2 will be released.

[AJ]

Some of the larger online retailers will just stick a date on it to drive excitement and sales on their site -- No announcements have been made, and you shouldn't expect the game to come out this year at all.

[BludSyko]

I see.... Well my bad.

[BlizzJK]

Here is a probable scenario:
Q4 2007: wow : 2nd expansion
Q1 2008: Starcraft 2 release
after:
-Full development for Diablo 3
-Q2/3 2008(blizzcon event) diablo 3 announcement
Q4 2008: WOW: 3rd expansion
2009: Diablo 3 release
after
WC4 full development
2010: WC4 release
Q3/4 2010: announcement for a totally new game

[Neo]

FYI, you can't really compare Starcraft Forums//Diablo on Warboards or like, BF, since most of the people here/there are Starcraft or Warcraft fans -- however if you head over to a site like diabloii.net, you will see the Diablo II community is still very much active -- much more so then we are.

-Neo