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Blizzard not releasing Diablo 4 in 2019 — don’t care, won’t be buying it

February 14, 2019
Michelle Topham

We won’t see Blizzard releasing Diablo 4 in 2019, then again, I don’t care

During Activision Blizzard’s earnings call on Tuesday, studio exec. Coddy Johnson announced the developer was “not planning a major frontline release for 2019”.

That on top of the recent bad news Activision is beginning its lay off almost 800 people, or 8 percent of their workforce, under a new restructuring plan, and it is clear to see the chances of Blizzard releasing Diablo 4 in 2019 are sadly…nil.



Johnson explained that decision by saying, “We expect materially lower financial performance this year than in 2019”.

He added that was largely due to last year’s release of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. An event that would not be replicated in 2019, with the Irvine-based company having no plan for a major game release.

Johnson did say, though, franchises like Diablo, Call of Duty and Warcraft will see increased investment over the next year.

It is also expected these franchises, including Diablo, will have an additional 20 percent of staff working on them during 2019. That fact alone bodes well for a possible Diablo 4 release in 2020 at least.

Diablo 3 itself first released on PC in May, 2012.

A game that, even though it was slammed for its always-online DRM and ridiculous micro transactions, still sold more than 30 million copies in its first three years of release.

That is why fans are perplexed it is taking this long for Blizzard to release Diablo 4. The release of which is still a non-event almost seven years after the last game in the Diablo series came out.

Why are you buying Activision Blizzard games?

Personally, whether Blizzard releases Diablo 4 in 2019 or not, buying another Activision game is not something I would even consider. Not after how the company treats their customers and their staff.

After all, Activision Blizzard had a record earnings year in 2018.

Those earnings — the best in the company’s history — gave them the incentive to lay off almost 800 people, while still giving their shareholders a boost in dividend payments from 8 percent to 9 percent. How nice of them.

On top of that, when Diablo 3 released, customers as far afield as South Korea and France could not get on servers to play. Sometimes for weeks afterwards.

From the response Activision gave to international consumer affairs organization when they asked the company to fix the problem, it was obvious Activision did not care if anyone could play their game.

Not as long as the person had spent money on actually buying it.

In that regard, Activision Blizzard, here is my middle finger. Now sit on it and spin.

Because I couldn’t care less if Blizzard is releasing Diablo 4 in 2019, 2020 or 2021, as it is a game I will never buy.

It is such a pity, therefore, many other gamers are so self-involved they only care about their own personal enjoyment, and have no regard for the well-being of the Blizzard employees that make those games.

So, of course, they will buy Diablo 4. Regardless of how they the customer or Activision employees as a whole or treated. Weird that.

It will be interesting to see if that attitude comes back to bite them in the ass, however, when Blizzard finally does release Diablo 4. Just like it did in 2012 when Diablo 3 released, and a huge number of people that bought the game couldn’t play it due to its always-online DRM and overcrowded servers.

Meanwhile, if you are willing to follow me and other gamers who do care about the way video game developers treat their customers and staff, and refuse to buy Diablo 4, there are plenty of other Diablo-like games out there that are just as good. And even more coming down the pike.

Try:

Torchlight II — DRM-free on GOG

Grim Dawn — and its DLCs, all DRM-free on GOG

Titan Quest — DRM-free on GOG

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing — All 3 games on GOG and DRM-free

Related Reading: Diablo 3 – PlayStation 3  — Don’t buy it if you hate being ripped off

Michelle Topham
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