Diablo 4 rumours are heating up ahead of BlizzCon 2016 [Updated]
Something seems to be happening.
Update: It looks like we can pull the plug on Brevik's rumored return to Sanctuary.
There has been a lot of speculation (and hope), but I'm not working on the Diablo franchise currently or in the near future#sorry#muchloveOctober 17, 2016
Original story:
BlizzCon 2016 kicks off on November 4, and there are already several rumours that a new Diablo game will be announced. While some folk believe a HD remaster of Diablo 2 is incoming, a whole new instalment is looking more (but still not very) likely, judging by some vague evidence floating about.
The most interesting and potentially far-fetched rumour comes via some promotional swag gifted to a YouTuber. As Rhykker explains in this video, a BlizzCon promo pack contained a few die, one of which was a D4 – a four-sided die. That's enough to get some quarters of the Diablo fanbase excited, but it also turns out that the numbers on the die were misprinted: instead of three "1"s featuring at the bottom of three sides of the die as per normal, there are two "1"s and a single "4".
In other words, the misprint reflects the starting date of BlizzCon 2016 (November 4), which just so happens to appear on a "D4" die. Well, then!
In other news closer to the source, both David Brevik and Bill Roper have appeared at Blizzard's California premises this month. Brevik was project lead on Diablo 2 – still regarded the best instalment – and Roper is a former vice president of Blizzard North, and senior producer on Diablo 2.
Brevik also tweeted this:
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For 20 years, Diablo-like games have evolved & surprised us. I'm proud to be the adviser for the game that pushes this genre to new heights. pic.twitter.com/LIT3i0UwJvOctober 16, 2016
Why are two Diablo 2 veterans visiting Blizzard a month before BlizzCon? Why did Brevik embed an image of the Libra star sign? Why don't all pizza delivery services have GPS tracking? It's likely we'll find some answers to most of these questions come November 4.
Cheers, Diablo Fans.
Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.