Is Diablo 4 Season 4 Really So Great It Should Be Considered Diablo 5? Blizzard Has Its Say

ign.com:

When Diablo 3 got its pre-Reaper of Souls expansion patch dubbed 'loot 2.0' in 2014, it was credited with turning Blizzard’s action role-playing game around. Critics and players called loot 2.0 a big improvement on Diablo 3, with changes that sparked renewed interest from a community that had dropped off following the base game’s 2012 release. Now, 10 years later, Blizzard is aiming to repeat the trick with Diablo 4 Season 4.

For the first time, Blizzard launched a Public Test Realm (PTR) that let players get stuck into the sweeping changes to itemisation Season 4 will bring when it launches on May 14. Hardcore Diablo 4 fans who have stuck with the game despite its many ups and downs since last summer have positive things to say about Season 4, now the PTR has ended. You’ll see comments like, ‘Diablo 4 is good now’, ‘Season 4 is what Diablo 4 should have been at launch’, and ‘the Diablo 4 beta is over, Season 4 is 1.0.’ For Blizzard, though, the hope is Season 4 reinvigorates Diablo 4, brings back lapsed players, and maybe even attracts new players who might have found the game intimidating up to this point.

All this comes after the launch of Diablo 4 on Game Pass — the first Blizzard game to do so following Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year. And it comes ahead of the hotly anticipated launch of Diablo 4’s first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, later in 2024. In short, these are busy times for Diablo 4 and for its development team. With all this in mind, IGN sat down with Diablo boss Rod Fergusson and art director John Mueller to find out more about Season 4, their thoughts on datamining and secrets, and how Game Pass has affected the player base.

Diablo 4 is approaching its first year after launch. How would you assess how it’s gone so far?

Rod Fergusson: It’s been going well. What I love about having a game that’s a live service is you’re able to iterate and learn. It’s not like one thing that just goes out and you’re living with that.