DIABLO
Hey, everyone. Thank you very much for joining us. I am so excited to kick off the Diablo segment of our show, and I am honored to be here on behalf of all of our Diablo teams to share the news and updates we have in store for you today. We’ve got a lot of Diablo to cover, and I hope you’ll agree with me that it’s a great time to be a member of this community.
Alright. Let’s kick things off with Diablo IV. We first shared our game with you during BlizzCon of 2019; and we’ve been truly humbled by your response. We’ve kept in touch through quarterly updates and sincerely appreciate the thoughts and valuable feedback you’ve provided as we unveil more and more of the game and share in its development.
After all, Diablo belongs to you as much as it belongs to us. Most recently, we teased an update to our campfire screen, and savvy fans, of course understood that we meant more than just the character lighting and fire visual effects. That’s right. Today, we’re happy to announce a brave new soul joining the barbarian, the sorcerer, and the druid on this dangerous journey back to Sanctuary.
A class is one of the most exciting things you can announce in a Diablo game. This one is especially exciting to me, as it is the reinvisioning of one of the first classes to ever appear in the series. Let’s have a look.
Just the sound of that ear getting pierced by the hook is so brutal. I feel like it’s going to haunt me for a long time. I’ve been a huge fan of the rogue ever since the original Diablo, even seeing them come back as NPCs and mercenaries in Diablo II’s Rogue encampment served as a great bridge between the games.
With the setting of Diablo IV being a larger world than we’ve ever played in before, we’re excited to show you not just what the successors to the original rogues in the series have been up to since the fall of their order, but also with some of the other rogues in the world of Sanctuary might look like. The mantra for Diablo IV has been customization first; and the rogue takes this to a whole new level.
From the beginning. The rogue has been an incredibly flexible class. Able to adapt to any situation. Our goal is to let you create the kind of rogue that you want to play, whether it’s an unrivaled Archer modeled after the original sisterhood; or a cloak and dagger rogue from the darkest alleys of Caldeum; in Diablo IV, you will have the freedom to create the rogue that you imagine by customizing the looks, the background, and the playstyle of your character.
Please stick around for our segment later today, where I’ll be joined by other members of the Diablo IV team to share a closer look at the rogue class, as well as some of the open world gameplay that we’re bringing to the game. Spoilers: those severed ears are not just for show, but Diablo IV is not the only Diablo game we’re talking about today.
DIABLO IMMORTAL
If you’re looking for an authentic Diablo experience on mobile, we’ve got you covered. Diablo Immortal has everything you’d expect from a AAA action-RPG — from the visceral combat, an epic loot, to an all-new story, bridging the gap between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III.
Later today, you can join the Diablo Immortal team where they’ll talk about some of the things they’ve learned from their recent alpha test and what’s next for the game, but that’s still not all.
DIABLO II: RESURRECTED
We have one last bit of very exciting Diablo news to cover. When you hear us talk about the classes, the items, or the stories of the early Diablo games, you may have picked up on the absolute reverent tone we reserve for that golden era of Diablo. Maybe you share that love of the classics; and just hearing us talk about them makes you want to take on Mephisto or Baal one more time. Or maybe even for the first time.
After all, some of our favorite moments happened a long time ago, and not just in Sanctuary years. If so, we have a special surprise for you today. Let’s check it out.
J. Allen Brack: After more than 20 years, the Dark Wanderer has returned; and once again, he travels East. Always East. Diablo II is a landmark game for Blizzard.
Diablo II: Resurrected is a full HD remaster of both the original game, and the expansion Lord of Destruction. It takes the 2D sprite-based classic that we love, and brings it into the present in 3D, utilizing up-to-date graphical rendering, and lighting technologies.
It also includes modernizing all 27 minutes of cinematics recreated shot-for-shot with the explicit intention of preserving both the look, and the pacing of the original movies.
Blizzard has a long history of games that we’re proud of; and when we think about Diablo II, we think about it as a definitive pillar in our foundation.
Now, it’s funny to think that some of you weren’t even born when Diablo II was released, which makes it all the more important that we deliver an authentic experience, wherever you play. We want everyone to relive their memories, or experience the game for the very first time on their platform of choice. And so, we’re excited to bring Diablo II: Resurrected to PC and console along with cross-progression.
And for those of you who are in love with the original and you just wish it worked more seamlessly on modern computers, you can bring back all of that nostalgia — exactly as you remember, and enjoy the game in its original 2D form — much like we did with StarCraft: Remastered. Obviously, there’s a lot to talk about.
Later today, Diablo speedrunner Mr. Llama will host a roundtable with members of the development team on the dedicated Diablo channel. If you are a Diablo II fan, I encourage you to take a look. So from Diablo II: Resurrected, to Burning Crusade Classic, to the Blizzard Arcade Collection, it’s a whole lot of looking back.
And while we have teams dedicated to bringing these timeless experiences into your hands, it’s actually a very small percentage of our developers working on these projects.
Far more people are working on the future of Blizzard. And in addition to what we’ll be talking about during the show, we can’t wait to tell you even more about our plans over the course of this year, and beyond.
If you had asked us 30 years ago, what gaming would look like today, none of us could have predicted the current Blizzard lineup of games. The advances in technology are one thing, but it’s really what those advances have enabled that’s even more incredible.
If you think about the people who play games and the communities that have grown up around them, the way people can connect instantly, no matter where they are in the world.
The way people are increasingly able to express their identity and celebrate who they are through their favorite games, communities and platforms, the explosion of things like streaming, cosplay, and e-sports, it would have been hard to imagine any of that 30 years ago. And at Blizzard, that is what excites us about the next 30 years.
There is so much that we’re working on. Some of it you already know about. The rest, we look forward to talking to you about it when the time is right.
Just like the real world, the worlds of Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch and Hearthstone are diverse, expansive, and full of potential.
We are not only iterating on the experiences that you’ve come to expect from us. We’re also exploring different ways to express our worlds and welcome more players from more places into them. And we aspire to continue to lead on priorities like accessibility and toxicity control, and to continue supporting causes that have a positive impact on the real world.
We want to continue to bring those same feelings of joy and achievement that we all felt when we first defeated the Lich King, or beat Diablo in Hardcore Mode, because when we geek out on those experiences with others, we can’t help but see the similarities between us, and feel what’s possible when we play together.
Of course, there are new Blizzard worlds that we haven’t visited. Quite yet. And when we do finally unveil those games and experiences, our hope is that you will see in them what we do. That no matter who you are, or where you’re from, there are spaces where you can create new stories, forge new friendships, and make memories worthy of lasting a lifetime.
And through it all, our mission statement of being dedicated to creating the most epic entertainment experiences ever — along with our core values, led by “Gameplay First,” we’ll continue to guide our way.
So on behalf of everyone at Blizzard, thank you for being on this journey. For me personally, it is the honor of my professional life to serve you, and the honor of all of us at Blizzard to be the caretakers of the worlds that you play in.
We are so excited for what’s to come this year, next year, and the next 30 years. Now… what’s coming next for the show? Well, it depends on where you watch.
For those of you looking for an update on Overwatch, check out the behind-the-scenes look into the development of Overwatch 2 over on their dedicated channel, right after the conclusion of the opening ceremonies.
There, you’ll hear about Overwatch 2 new content, new features, including new maps, hero missions, talent trees, and more of what we think will make Overwatch 2 a unique gameplay experience.
For World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Hearthstone — you’ll get a closer look on their respective channels.
And on the dedicated strategy channel — some StarCraft legends will be going head to head in epic competition.
Once again, welcome to BlizzConline. Be good to one another. Welcome home.
| BLIZZCONLINE 2021 OPENING CEREMONY TRANSCRIPT | ||
| 1. Intro | 2. Chains of Domination | 3. Burning Crusade Classic |
| 4. Hearthstone | 5. Diablo | |
