Just a few hours ago, Destiny 2 developers revealed there won’t be a Destiny 3. They laid out a 3-year plan for Destiny 2.

“We don’t believe a sequel is the right direction for the game.”

Current owners of Destiny 2 (PC/Mac/PS4/Xbox One) will be able to download the game free on PS5 and Xbox Series X. This means Destiny 2 is a defacto cross-platform one-time-purchase. You only need to buy one copy and you get access to the game in any platform.

This makes me want to look at Diablo III. If you own Diablo III (PC), and you want to play Diablo III on PS4… you have to buy a new Diablo III (PS4) copy. If you also have an Xbox One and you want to play Diablo III there with your Xbox One friends… you have to buy a new Diablo III (Xbox One) copy. Want to play Diablo III on Nintendo Switch too? Guess again… more $$$.

Now add that same reasoning to Diablo 4 when it goes live.

Why can’t Blizzard Entertainment allow you to pay for the game once and make it available to all platforms via your Battle.net login to download it in all existent platforms?

The Battle.net login is the DRM making sure you own a copy of the game. It makes no sense to spend $59.99 for PC, $XX.99 for PS4, and $XX.99 for Nintendo Switch.

Pricing might differ, but just an example. You get my drift.

DIABLO 4

Taking a look at what Bungie wants to do with Destiny 2… Bungie basically wants to treat Destiny 2 as an MMORPG, and that’s absolutely great.

Over the years, we have only had World of Warcraft. No World of Warcraft 2. Well, Cataclysm kinda turned into a remake of World of Warcraft vanilla to allow flying in Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, but for all purposes, it is the same game. It just grows, gets system upgrades, and adds new expansions, new worlds (Outland, Draenor, Argus) and new realms (Shadowlands).

In terms of Diablo II, Diablo III, and Diablo IV we have a giant mess.

Diablo II is a 2D engine — a game where we play in Khanduras, Kurast, Mount Arreat, Aranoch, Torajan Jungles, Pandemonium Fortress, the Burning Hells, and other locations.

Diablo III is a 3D engine — a game where we play in other areas of Khanduras, Caldeum (Kehjistan), Bastion Keep (Arreat Crater), Westmarch, and not really much of Sanctuary.

Diablo IV takes us to Scosglen, Dry Steppes, The Fractured Peaks (Eastern Dry Steppes), and Hawezar (which is part of the Swamplands). By the way… Ureh is in Hawezar if you take a look at the map and cross-reference it with the old Sanctuary map.

What a big mess. We never get a full world. Only portions of it, and in different games.

Why can’t we have a full and whole world of Sanctuary in a single game?

Diablo 4 should be for all intents and purposes a giant MMORPG world. Set the basics of Diablo 4 at launch, then expand to incorporate Diablo 3 into the Diablo 4 engine in such a way that Diablo 3 characters can navigate into Diablo 4 and Diablo 4 characters can experience the Diablo 3 quests, gameplay, etc.

To do that, Blizzard needs to redo Diablo III within the Diablo 4 engine, and enhance or replace Diablo III systems.

I don’t want anymore to have to play different games to navigate from Bastion’s Keep to Scosglen. Or from Hawezar to Caldeum.

Diablo 4 should be World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. I know I am going to hear some cringes, but absorbing the entire Diablo III experience into Diablo 4 would make it so that both playerbases become one.

Diablo III needs to be scrapped and replaced by Diablo 4’s engine and systems as a big world sandbox that Blizzard can expand via expansions and DLCs.

Make it one purchase. No matter which platform you are playing in — you pay for Diablo 4 once. You log into Battle.net and download your copy on any of these: Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, PC/Mac and any other platform.

There is a problem with integrating or remaking Diablo 3 into the Diablo 4 engine, however.

Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 are set in different timeframes. I suggest phasing technology. As a Diablo 4 player, you can return to Diablo 3 locations — but those locations are updated with Diablo 4 creatures, quests, etc.

I know it is a lot of work, but it is possible.

Thereafter, there is no need for Diablo 5 or Diablo 6. Just make Diablo 4 grow with DLCs, and remain Diablo 4. If there are new technologies 5-10-20 years from now, keep making changes and adjustments to implement those technologies. Redo the engine if necessary.

I want my progress in Diablo 3 to move along with me to Diablo 4 as one game. Not two different and separate games.

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BlizzCon 2019 Panel Transcripts