Diablo creator and king of all dungeons David Brevik says he wouldn't take the same approach to the iconic RPG series as Activision Blizzard, but the company's new hellish games are still a reason to celebrate.
Considered the creator of the popular ARPG, Brevik served as president of Blizzard North from 1993 to 2003, and was also the lead programmer on the original Diablo game and later the project and design lead for its sequel.
Considering how much Diablo and the gaming landscape has changed since the good old days of hacking and slasher chaos, I asked Brevik what he thought about the direction Blizzard is taking the series—especially given the controversy surrounding its latest installment, Diablo Immortal.
“Well, this is not the direction I would go in, but I have no choice. I left Blizzard and it's their IP so they can go in the direction they want," he says. I think they've done a good job with Diablo and I'm looking forward to seeing more in this IP."
"I think it's really difficult when people compare Diablo today to Diablo 2," he continues. “First of all, people tend to look at Diablo 2 through rose-colored glasses, which makes it difficult to compare any new product to what people remember so fondly.
“Secondly, in the 20 years since Diablo 2 came out, gaming has changed a lot: competition, number of products, industry maturity, education in game theory - all of these factors make it difficult to create something revolutionary.”
He also admits that Diablo Immortal's microtransaction route wouldn't have been "the direction he would have gone down" either, but doesn't think its failures have dampened the hype for Diablo 4.
“Diablo continues to be very popular in the community. People love IP and stories. Diablo 3 has changed a lot since its launch and is extremely popular; millions of people have played and enjoyed Diablo 3. People seem to really like Diablo Immortal, too, and although there is disagreement about the business model, the game seems to be doing well."
“Finally, new Blizzard products still have a rabid, dedicated fan base,” he asserts. “They are always big events and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
Brevik recently announced that he would be joining the XD Inc. as a consulting producer on Torchlight: Infinite, the successor to Torchlight 2. The game is currently available in Early Access on Steam, and players can immerse themselves in the hectic world of Leptis on PC and mobile.
