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Rod Fergusson Confirms Years of Diablo 4 Support Plans, With Quarterly Seasons and Annual Expansions

SystemSystem Member UncommonPosts: 12,599
edited September 2023 in News & Features Discussion

imageRod Fergusson Confirms Years of Diablo 4 Support Plans, With Quarterly Seasons and Annual Expansions | MMORPG.com

Blizzard plans to support Diablo 4 for years with seasonal updates and annual expansions, confirms GM Rod Fergusson. "We've got plans, we have storylines that go well into the future."

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Comments

  • GreatswordGreatsword Member RarePosts: 414
    Can't wait for the Blizzard hate train to arrive in the comments soon, while I still enjoy this game VERY much.

    Also: Too bad Destiny 2 is heading towards maintenance mode now as Bungie focues on their other projects and new IPs.
    Laughing-man
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    I know it's popular to exaggerate and hate on the game now, and I'm sure there are valid criticisms to be made.

    However, I also know that it's a very entertaining story playthrough and has the bones of something great. One day, this game WILL become one of the best games in its genre through updates/expansions. Just like Diablo 3 did.
    TerazonIceAge
  • TerazonTerazon Member RarePosts: 407
    Great potential for its future and I had great fun with it. 
  • elveoneelveone Member RarePosts: 430
    Well, if they could now stop with the seasonal stupidity and everything will be great.
    TillerIceAge
  • agentsi1511agentsi1511 Member UncommonPosts: 47
    I have always enjoyed Blizzard games, still subbed to WoW, but the fact is they've been playing catch up since they first announced Diablo Immortal. At that time, we know for a fact, D4 had not even been started in terms of development. After that day, they rushed D4 from start to finish. And it shows. I think folks issue with D4 is it feels extremely unfinished. D4 story mode/campaign? Absolutely fantastic. #teamLilith. But the end game, is not there. It's empty, its clearly not thought out, and rushed worse than anything else. The game launched with cosmetics. Why not spend that extra time/money to develop a proper end game system? There is no incentive to keep playing in D4 once you're lvl 80+. No Paragon, no real upgrade paths, nothing to play for. Builds are EXTREMELY limited. Everything we get in PoE or hell, even D3, is completely missing from D4.

    So this is why we're hearing about their ongoing plans for D4, because the player base has went from millions, to thousands in a span of less than a month. They're nervous, as they should be.
  • GamerCrippleGamerCripple Newbie CommonPosts: 5
    The game leaves much to be desired. A single playthru for the story is nice. Then a season pops and it's back to a dull grind again, and a small story. After about lvl 70 it feels like a crawl. Yeah there's stuff to do....but why? There's no big bad that is hard to overcome, nightmare dungeons are fairly simple, and getting better gear is only needed to get higher dungeons...which tbh feels no need to get.

    I mean I can spend HOURS in game, not interact with anyone, and do everything. And it is VERY VERY repetitive.

    So far I have done one class to 100. One to 80+ and a few hardcores to 30-50 range. I am bored. =/
  • RaagnarzRaagnarz Member RarePosts: 647
    They're gonna be in for a rude awakening in Season 2. The sales for the premium/paid season pass are going to tank compared to Season 1. Most people who got season 1 paid version got it with their preorder to get into the game days early. Considering D4 has lost 80-90% of it's total player base, I see a huge drop in sales for the second season pass. Sure some will come back for it, but I am guessing Blizzard's internal predictions for season pass numbers are going to be way off their original projections. When that happens I expect Bobby to pull the plug on the no pay to win in the shop because Bobby needs he 57th house baby.
    FrodoFragins
  • Laughing-manLaughing-man Member RarePosts: 3,655


    Can't wait for the Blizzard hate train to arrive in the comments soon, while I still enjoy this game VERY much.



    Also: Too bad Destiny 2 is heading towards maintenance mode now as Bungie focues on their other projects and new IPs.



    Ironic how you hate on Destiny 2 while making fun of people who hate on Diablo.

    Glass Houses.
    FrodoFraginsAeander
  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,036


    Can't wait for the Blizzard hate train to arrive in the comments soon, while I still enjoy this game VERY much.



    Also: Too bad Destiny 2 is heading towards maintenance mode now as Bungie focues on their other projects and new IPs.



    Ironic how you hate on Destiny 2 while making fun of people who hate on Diablo.

    Glass Houses.

    That post is not hating on Destiny 2.

    Like .... at all.

    The poster was simply lamenting that Destiny 2 is no longer Bungie's main focus.
    Sovrath
  • SplitStream13SplitStream13 Member UncommonPosts: 253
    Hmm, they misspelled "This 70$ game is gonna get hella more expensive in the future"
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273
    Where's all the posters who were defending D4 to the hilt? I guess they are over in the Starfield threads now, defending that game to the hilt. We have a lot of honeymoon players on here. :)
    Iselin
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    edited September 2023


    Can't wait for the Blizzard hate train to arrive in the comments soon, while I still enjoy this game VERY much.



    Also: Too bad Destiny 2 is heading towards maintenance mode now as Bungie focues on their other projects and new IPs.



    Ironic how you hate on Destiny 2 while making fun of people who hate on Diablo.

    Glass Houses.
    Bungie and Destiny 2 are way more pathetic. Like, it's not even close. They've maintained Diablo 4 levels of bad PR for years.

    And just fucking imagine if any other developer tried to vault content people paid for. We'd rightly tear them apart.
    unfilteredJW
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • ValdemarJValdemarJ Member RarePosts: 1,378
    edited September 2023
    Scot said:
    Where's all the posters who were defending D4 to the hilt? I guess they are over in the Starfield threads now, defending that game to the hilt. We have a lot of honeymoon players on here. :)
    Oh my aren't you the clever insightful one. You nailed it, they're actually playing games instead of playing YouTube review wars.

    Maybe if you spent more time actually playing games and understanding why they work, or not, you could make your own comments about games instead of judging others.

    Maybe you could ask Blueturtle's opinion. Oh, that's right, they deleted their account so they can't. I'll let your smooth brain figure it out.

    Btw, D4 is a good game with a leadership problem. Starfield is an excellent game.
    IselinunfilteredJW
    Bring back the Naked Chicken Chalupa!
  • nate1980nate1980 Member UncommonPosts: 2,072
    edited September 2023
    Blizzard got a lot of hate for D4 for very good reasons, and trying to downplay those reasons doesn't do anyone any favors.

    1. They charged maximum price for an incomplete game. They had two bundles that were even more expensive and they knew gamers wanted to play on Day 1, so put the early access in the more expensive bundles. That's FOMO and predatory. Not to mention they had a cash shop, which combined with the above is just bad business.

    2. While the game was content complete, it was feature incomplete. 

    3. The general consensus is that resource management and the gameplay mechanics associates with it was not fun to play. You used your basic ability, which deals no damage, the vast majority of the time.

    4. No Paladin at release, locking out players (like myself) from even playing the game. I tried every class and none catered to my playstyle, so I never made it past Act 3.

    5. Level scaling is not fun. The online with friends players may not have any issue with it, but many of us don't like the online required feature or the level scaling that's a result of that. 

    6. Game was released without balancing the classes. Balancing classes should only occur at the start of each season. Classes were receiving nerfs the entire 1st week after release.

    So defend Blizzard all you want and let them take your money in their cash shops, but you're not going to convince players to come back. The game is just bad and POE2 is looking to be a better ARPG all around than D4 for those who are into online only ARPGs.

    I think Grim Dawn and TitanQuest were much better ARPGs.
    KaliGold
  • FrodoFraginsFrodoFragins Member EpicPosts: 6,050
    edited September 2023
    How D4 was designed:

    1) Create monetization model: $70+ base game, seasonal battle pass, MTX shop with yearly paid expansions
    2) Push out a designed-by-committee game in minimally viable form as soon as possible
    3) Allocate minimal resource to free seasonal content

    If the game was in great shape then most of the rest would be fine.  But they didn't and they are holding back major improvements for yearly paid expansions which may or may not be what people want.

    This is an Activision game designed to milk the IP.  There is no passion for the genre or even the game.  Look at the idiotic crap spewed by Rod Fergusson.  He isn't the problem because even if he quit they'd replace him with someone just like him.  (But I feel like he is the face of D4 because joe Shely isn't good with interviews or public speaking or building hype.) 

    They are focusing on short term gain and are likely to sell a lot fewer expansions and battlepasses long term as the game is abandoned by more and more people.

    Personally I don't really care anymore.  Last Epoch and Path of Exile 2 are both very promising.  And I can have a lot more fun in D2R, D3 and Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor Martyr  than I ever did in D4.
    Post edited by FrodoFragins on
    unfilteredJW
  • nate1980nate1980 Member UncommonPosts: 2,072
    How D4 was designed:

    1) Create monetization model: $70+ base game, seasonal battle pass, MTX shop with yearly paid expansions
    2) Push out a designed-by-committee game in minimally viable form as soon as possible
    3) Allocate minimal resource to free seasonal content

    If the game was in great shape then most of the rest would be fine.  But they didn't and they are holding back major improvements for yearly paid expansions which may or may not be what people want.

    This is an Activision game designed to milk the IP.  There is no passion for the genre or even the game.  Look at the idiotic crap spewed by Rod Fergusson.  He isn't the problem because even if he quit they'd replace him with someone just like him.  

    They are focusing on short term gain and are likely to sell a lot fewer expansions and battlepasses long term as the game is abandoned by more and more people.

    Personally I don't really care anymore.  Last Epoch and Path of Exile 2 are both very promising.  And I can have a lot more fun in D2R, D3 and Warhammer 40l: Inquisitor Martyr  than I ever did in D4.
    It's transparent that they're just milking the IP and trying to maximize profits at the expense of the player. A lot of us have a lot of experience with Blizzard doing this in their other IP's over the last several years, so when they pulled the same thing with D4 we had enough and responded passionately about how unhappy we are about this.

    This is why I say it's bad for business. While a company may not profit as much in the short-term, building good will with the players and focusing on delivering a good and complete product is how a company builds trust and earns repeat business. As things stand now, I won't buy another of their products without first getting professional and player feedback about their product first. Not getting burned by Blizzard again.
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    How D4 was designed:

    1) Create monetization model: $70+ base game, seasonal battle pass, MTX shop with yearly paid expansions
    2) Push out a designed-by-committee game in minimally viable form as soon as possible
    3) Allocate minimal resource to free seasonal content

    If the game was in great shape then most of the rest would be fine.  But they didn't and they are holding back major improvements for yearly paid expansions which may or may not be what people want.

    This is an Activision game designed to milk the IP.  There is no passion for the genre or even the game.  Look at the idiotic crap spewed by Rod Fergusson.  He isn't the problem because even if he quit they'd replace him with someone just like him.  

    They are focusing on short term gain and are likely to sell a lot fewer expansions and battlepasses long term as the game is abandoned by more and more people.

    Personally I don't really care anymore.  Last Epoch and Path of Exile 2 are both very promising.  And I can have a lot more fun in D2R, D3 and Warhammer 40l: Inquisitor Martyr  than I ever did in D4.
    Personally, I think they made a mistake by trying to dial back, rather than doubling down on the more fun, casual niche they had with Diablo 3. They had a perfect junk food ARPG, and now they're trying to compete with Path of Exile 1/2. Which is impossible because PoE is already the perfect version of Diablo 2, and it's only getting better with time. 

    And if they don't get their shit together by the time Titan Quest 2 comes out, they're done.
  • lahnmirlahnmir Member LegendaryPosts: 5,050
    edited September 2023
    ValdemarJ said:
    Scot said:
    Where's all the posters who were defending D4 to the hilt? I guess they are over in the Starfield threads now, defending that game to the hilt. We have a lot of honeymoon players on here. :)
    Oh my aren't you the clever insightful one. You nailed it, they're actually playing games instead of playing YouTube review wars.

    Maybe if you spent more time actually playing games and understanding why they work, or not, you could make your own comments about games instead of judging others.

    Maybe you could ask Blueturtle's opinion. Oh, that's right, they deleted their account so they can't. I'll let your smooth brain figure it out.

    Btw, D4 is a good game with a leadership problem. Starfield is an excellent game.
    Blue left? I am not surprised but still sad. He practically got chased out of the door. I guess in the end he agreed with Torval and decided to pack his bags, which is understandable. Intolerance is on the rise, even here.

    Edit: edited for clarity.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    Post edited by lahnmir on
    ValdemarJcheyaneunfilteredJW
    'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'

    Kyleran on yours sincerely 


    'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'

    Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...



    'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless. 

    It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.

    It is just huge resource waste....'

    Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer

  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    lahnmir said:
    ValdemarJ said:
    Scot said:
    Where's all the posters who were defending D4 to the hilt? I guess they are over in the Starfield threads now, defending that game to the hilt. We have a lot of honeymoon players on here. :)
    Oh my aren't you the clever insightful one. You nailed it, they're actually playing games instead of playing YouTube review wars.

    Maybe if you spent more time actually playing games and understanding why they work, or not, you could make your own comments about games instead of judging others.

    Maybe you could ask Blueturtle's opinion. Oh, that's right, they deleted their account so they can't. I'll let your smooth brain figure it out.

    Btw, D4 is a good game with a leadership problem. Starfield is an excellent game.
    Blue left? I am not surprised but still sad. He practically got chased out of the door. I guess in the end he agreed with Torval, which is understandable. Intolerance is on the rise, even here.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    I can't imagine why Blueturtle would have had their account deleted considering he was basically one of the most inoffensive, agreeable people here.
    cheyane
  • lahnmirlahnmir Member LegendaryPosts: 5,050
    Aeander said:
    lahnmir said:
    ValdemarJ said:
    Scot said:
    Where's all the posters who were defending D4 to the hilt? I guess they are over in the Starfield threads now, defending that game to the hilt. We have a lot of honeymoon players on here. :)
    Oh my aren't you the clever insightful one. You nailed it, they're actually playing games instead of playing YouTube review wars.

    Maybe if you spent more time actually playing games and understanding why they work, or not, you could make your own comments about games instead of judging others.

    Maybe you could ask Blueturtle's opinion. Oh, that's right, they deleted their account so they can't. I'll let your smooth brain figure it out.

    Btw, D4 is a good game with a leadership problem. Starfield is an excellent game.
    Blue left? I am not surprised but still sad. He practically got chased out of the door. I guess in the end he agreed with Torval, which is understandable. Intolerance is on the rise, even here.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    I can't imagine why Blueturtle would have had their account deleted considering he was basically one of the most inoffensive, agreeable people here.
    He deleted it himself, after disappointment with the community here and their stance on several things he wrote about, especially Tencent offensive race related gibberish. Sorry if my response was unclear.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    cheyaneunfilteredJW
    'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'

    Kyleran on yours sincerely 


    'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'

    Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...



    'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless. 

    It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.

    It is just huge resource waste....'

    Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer

  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    lahnmir said:
    Aeander said:
    lahnmir said:
    ValdemarJ said:
    Scot said:
    Where's all the posters who were defending D4 to the hilt? I guess they are over in the Starfield threads now, defending that game to the hilt. We have a lot of honeymoon players on here. :)
    Oh my aren't you the clever insightful one. You nailed it, they're actually playing games instead of playing YouTube review wars.

    Maybe if you spent more time actually playing games and understanding why they work, or not, you could make your own comments about games instead of judging others.

    Maybe you could ask Blueturtle's opinion. Oh, that's right, they deleted their account so they can't. I'll let your smooth brain figure it out.

    Btw, D4 is a good game with a leadership problem. Starfield is an excellent game.
    Blue left? I am not surprised but still sad. He practically got chased out of the door. I guess in the end he agreed with Torval, which is understandable. Intolerance is on the rise, even here.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    I can't imagine why Blueturtle would have had their account deleted considering he was basically one of the most inoffensive, agreeable people here.
    He deleted it himself, after disappointment with the community here and their stance on several things he wrote about, especially Tencent offensive race related gibberish. Sorry if my response was unclear.

    /Cheers,
    Lahnmir
    Ah. Tencent's such an empty boogeyman because "China bad." But as far as funders go, they seem to be as hands-off as can be. I mean, look at League of Legends, which has been owned by Tencent since Season 1. Totally hands off.
    unfilteredJW
  • Legend127Legend127 Newbie CommonPosts: 3
    imagine releasing a game in 2023 and not having it on steam
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    Legend127 said:
    imagine releasing a game in 2023 and not having it on steam
    Imagine being in 2023 and still getting worked up about your DRM of choice. 
    TerazonunfilteredJW
  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    ValdemarJ said:

    Maybe you could ask Blueturtle's opinion. Oh, that's right, they deleted their account so they can't. I'll let your smooth brain figure it out.


    That's a loss of one of the few remaining insightful regulars here.

    But hey as long as Scot is doing his job of welcoming spammer bots, we can keep pretending that this is a rational and inclusive forum with people who share their experiences about games they play and love instead of the bigoted cesspool it is.


    unfilteredJWMadBomber13
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

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