Something to look forward to: With massive new games such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield having arrived in recent weeks, the spotlight has somewhat shifted away from Diablo IV. But Blizzard is reminding fans that the ARPG is here for the long run, with annual expansions now seemingly confirmed alongside the quarterly seasons.
Speaking in an interview with Dexerto, Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson was asked about the future of Diablo 4. He confirmed that the game will be supported for "years and years," with quarterly seasons and annual expansions, much like Destiny 2's current model that is changing next year.
"We've got plans, we have storylines that go well into the future. We've got plans. We're always leapfrogging our seasons, and leapfrogging our expansions, so it's something we are going to do for a long time. We're excited," said Fergusson.
"When you look back and realize that there were 11 years between D3 and D4, that feels like we didn't live up to our players, our community, and what they deserve. That's something we are rectifying in D4 with our seasons and our expansions."
The news will be welcomed by Diablo 4 fans, especially after Diablo 2's Lord of Destruction and Diablo 3's excellent Reaper or Souls were so well-liked.
Presuming no plans change, the first major expansion could arrive sometime around the Spring or Summer of next year. That's a lot quicker than Diablo 3's expansion: the game was released in May 2012, with Reaper of Souls following in March 2014. However, back in June, Fergusson confirmed that the team was already working on two expansions for Diablo 4, suggesting Blizzard's long-term support plan is already in place.
Blizzard has already released the first Diablo 4 seasonal update, Season of the Malignant, introducing new legendary gear, boss fights, and balance changes. The second season, Season of Blood, will start just as season 1 finishes on October 17. It promises a new questline to discover vampire-themed powers, extra quality-of-life features, and several changes to improve the endgame, including five new endgame bosses with the ability to target specific Unique and Uber Unique items as a drop, which sounds like a welcome addition.
Diablo 4 is one of several titles on our newly updated Best PC Games (You Should Be Playing) feature, sitting alongside the likes of Baldur's Gate 3 and Dave the Diver. We note that Blizzard's game embraces its horrific roots while appealing to that part of our brain that releases endorphins upon finding new loot, unlocking extra abilities, and encountering subjectively sexy demon women.