Diablo 4 is the resurrection Blizzard needs now after Diablo 2’s struggles

Diablo 4’s release date has been pushed back into the abyss yet again, and considering the issues with Diablo 2 Resurrected, it looks like maybe Blizzard should have just focused on the next installment instead.

I’m someone that likes to take the ‘glass-half-full’ approach to life. Despite my somewhat overwhelming cynicism (I call it ‘realism,’) there’s part of me that always likes to look on the bright side.

When it comes to Diablo 4, though, that’s pretty hard to do. In the wake of yet another delay to the next installment in Blizzard’s devilishly delightful franchise, a whole collection of Diablo fans across the globe likely rolled their eyes.

Instead of getting to see Lilith in all her glorious hatred, and exploring Sanctuary in a brand new way, we’ve been placated with the divisive Diablo 2 remaster, Diablo 2 Resurrected – and it just isn’t good enough. Diablo 4 is the real resurrection that the series needs, and here’s why.

Diablo 2 Resurrected just isn’t finished

While my review of Diablo 2 Resurrected was largely positive, I can openly admit that I’ve had very little urge to play the game after release. Why? Well, for all of the reasons others have abandoned it.

Game-breaking bugs have gotten me killed over and over again, and lengthy server queue times simply make playing more of a chore than anything else. Throw in the missing ladder and the game just feels incomplete.

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Releasing amidst the Activision Blizzard lawsuit can’t have helped, but the game just leaves a bitter taste given the original’s reputation. I hoped that the issues I encountered would receive hotfixes post-launch. Instead, the game seems to have simply hurtled into the abyss itself, never to be seen again.

Sure, it can only go upwards from here (we hope) but Diablo 2 Resurrected has failed to stop fans champing at the bit. We needed more – no, we needed something new.

A waste of resources

I firmly believe that, instead of channeling efforts into a remaster, Blizzard really should have just focused on Diablo 4. Sure, a remaster is a great concept for OG fans, but for newcomers to the franchise it was just a game they never asked for.

Diablo 4 is the game we asked for, and considering it has stalked the shadows since 2019, you’d assume that it was in the latter stages of its development cycle.

Of course, no one could have foreseen the global shakeup 2020 and 2021 gave us, but why plow resources into Diablo 2 Resurrected – a game that hadn’t even been announced – when what fans really wanted was Diablo 4? It feels almost taunting.

We needed something new to reignite the fires of hell. We needed new monsters, new stories, new characters. Resurrecting the dead is one thing, but a breath of new life is another.

Diablo 4 has been delayed – insert eye roll here

The whole issue with Blizzard, though, is that they are continually letting fans down. Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, Diablo – across all of their titles they’re breaking promises left, right, and center.

• Read More: Blizzconline 2022 cancelled to focus on Overwatch 2, Diablo 4 development

So, was I shocked Diablo 4 has been delayed? No. Was I sad? Sure. Was I just over it? Yes. While I still trust Blizzard to launch high-quality products, the question is; when? As soon as a speculative release date appears, it’s snatched right back into the darkness. I’ve grown to take everything with a pinch (a really, really big pinch) of salt – but I shouldn’t have to.

We shouldn’t have to.

Building a community is all about trust, and Blizzard just doesn’t have any moral ground to stand on at the moment. Once upon a time Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 were two of the gaming sphere’s most highly anticipated releases, but all of that excitement has evaporated.

Of course, as a longtime fan of the franchise, I want to see Diablo 4 do well. If it needs more work, it needs more work. That’s a fact of life. However, I just wish I could believe in Blizzard to deliver that little glimmer of hope I’m desperate to cling to.

I’m not disappointed I won’t get to slay demons as the Druid or Sorceress anytime soon. I’m just done with being constantly having Blizzard constantly shift the goalposts.

Did I ever mention I was a glass-half-full kind of person? Well, when it comes to Diablo 4, and sadly Blizzard as a whole, my chalice of blood is very much half empty. Let’s pray to the High Heavens I get a top-up sometime soon.