Once upon a time, I gave Diablo 4 a much-coveted 10/10 – one of only two I’ve handed out in my entire career. Then, I gave Vessel of Hatred a 9/10, calling it “Diablo 2, but even better.” Setting the stage for a grisly new chapter in Sanctuary’s ongoing saga, the DLC has kickstarted a narrative that feels like it’ll be filled with twists and turns. As a result, it leaves questions about the longevity of its mobile-focused sister title, Diablo Immortal, which outwardly appears to have fallen behind in the wake of Diablo 4’s launch. In an exclusive interview with , I ask lead content designer Scott Burgess and senior game designer Nan Jiang about their plans to keep Diablo Immortal, well, immortal.
The core difference is, of course, Diablo Immortal‘s primary platform. Where Diablo 4 is built for PC and console, its sister RPG‘s focus is the mobile market. “Hey, you’re sitting on your couch, you should play Immortal, there’s no excuses,” Burgess tells me. “You could be playing in your car – hopefully when you at least have cruise control on. That’s the core element: through that, we’re driving slightly different audiences.”
“We do have crossover for sure, a lot of players jump between games. But beyond that, we’re just doing what we feel is right for the Diablo audience. We’re just making the game that we feel is fun, and we’re not really worried about cannibalizing each other because we’re not seeing that – we’re seeing that we’re both being healthy on that front.”
Jiang agrees with Burgess, noting that “I think we [Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal] are totally different games. Our team did an awesome job with Diablo 4; it’s a very traditional throwback to the original Diablo experience, but Diablo Immortal is mobile-focused. That kind of connection is the key difference.
“We’re very healthy because we’re finding that a lot of Immortal’s players have never played Diablo before, and that’s awesome. We’re increasing the audience because there are no boundaries – we’re free to play, there are zero burdens [associated with] jumping into our game. If you’ve never heard of Diablo, come on in. If you’re tired of the other four games, come back to us. We always have new content for you. We’re just supporting each other.”
In terms of the game’s storylines, it’s worth noting that Diablo Immortal straddles the gap between the events of Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, taking place just five years after the Dark Wanderer’s adventure. Temporally, then, the games are far enough apart that there shouldn’t be much crossover narratively, even if Diablo 4-inspired cosmetics do make it into Immortal every now and then (who remembers those Lilith skins?).
“We’re setting up opportunities for cross-story pollination here and there, but we’re telling different stories. [Diablo 4] is telling where the story is going, and we’re telling that really fun in-between story. That’s very difficult at times because you’re trying to make sure the loose threads go back in, but it’s fun. There’s a lot of fertile ground for narrative opportunities.”
Speaking of fertile ground, Diablo Immortal is currently running its World of Warcraft anniversary event, bringing the Lich King to Sanctuary and introducing a slew of new WoW-themed cosmetics (the Illidan one is a must). We asked Burgess and Jiang about it here, where they revealed that Diablo Immortal’s strongest foe may be one of its smallest (not really).
If you’re still plowing through Mephisto’s hordes in Diablo 4, we also have a list of the best Diablo 4 classes, as well as a rundown of the best Diablo 4 Spiritborn build – Centipede all the way.
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