Blizzard on Diablo Immortal's New Take on the Classic Series

ign.com:

It’s a great time to be a Diablo fan. Diablo II’s recent resurrection gave the classic title a fresh coat of paint, Diablo IV’s development continues to roll along, and now, as of June 2, Diablo Immortal has arrived Android, iOS, and PC - the series’ first original release in years.

I caught up with Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson, Diablo Franchise General Manager, and Joe Grubb, Principal Game Designer on Diablo Immortal just before the game’s launch to discuss how the series has been reinvigorated, and what Blizzard are hoping to achieve with Immortal.

“There's a consistent through-line to what makes a Diablo game a Diablo game,” Rod Fergusson explains. “But, I definitely believe there's room for these games to exist together as unique and different experiences. Immortal not only brings that authentic Diablo experience, building on the past and having that homage to what came before with the six iconic classes, but it has all these innovations on top. The Cycle of Strife endgame PVP, Helliquary Raids, social systems, things that have been added by becoming an MMO that really separate it and make it stand apart.”

Even so, at its core, the team have set out to create an “authentic Diablo experience,” says Jeff Grubb, adapted for mobile and with an MMO backbone. With its traditional hack-and-slash setup and isometric perspective, Diablo Immortal very much looks the part, and also has a story to tell, through a linear structure that takes players through an array of diverse locations, growing in power as they slay the countless demons of Hell to find loot and legendary gear.

“You can go in, and you can play through an amazing story where you get off the boat and head into town and the cutscenes kick in,” Rod Fergusson says. “You can