No Rest For The Wicked

With not one, not two, but three Diablo games in the pipeline and well on their way to release, I don’t think I can stress this enough: it’s a fantastic time to be a fan of Blizzard’s beloved dungeon-crawler franchise. On our end, we’ve already thrown a few punches at both Immortal and D2R’s Technical Alpha sessions, and so far, we’re quite satisfied with what they’ve got on the menu.

- Kenneth Ang

However, let’s keep the spotlight on Diablo Immortal for now. I recently sat down for another check-in with two groups of Immortal’s crew, discussing the creation, conceptualisation, and development of the game’s expansive lore and mechanics. This first article, which details my short dialogue session with Senior Combat Designer Julian Love and Senior Narrative Designer Justin Dye will hone in on the lore and the PvE side of the equation, and if you’re more interested to find out more about the PvP aspect, make sure to stay tuned next month.

With all the formalities out of the way, it’s time to get this two-part show on the road. My first question was admittedly, a pretty straightforward one, but it’s hard not to be curious about what the team has gleaned from Immortal’s recent Technical Alpha sessions. For those who might have just stumbled out of their cave, Immortal didn’t really make the right kind of splash when it was first unveiled back at BlizzCon 2018, but fortunately, that moment of anger has long since died down.

According to Love, the team was probably more surprised at how well-received the game has been so far than anything else on the to-do list. It’s certainly a stark contrast compared to its initial reception, but in the team’s defense, the fans...kind of had that one coming. Putting aside the feuds and fiascos, he says the surprise wasn’t one-sided, as people seemed to be genuinely surprised at how deep, full-featured and authentic the Immortal experience has been so far.