Blizzard Entertainment traditionally prefers to release expansions to usher in new content and to extend the campaign of a Diablo game. But, for Diablo 4, the long-time developers will trade in the series’ signature DLCs for seasonal campaign updates.
According to a Game Informer interview with Diablo 4 associate game director, Joe Piepiora, Diablo 4’s post-launch update every quarter will feature additional story content tied to new mechanics and features as well as the seasonal battle pass, which comes in both free and premium variants. The first season will not be live upon the launch of the game in June and will come sometime later.
The announcement has sparked debate on Reddit, with gamers raising concerns about having to pay for ongoing content. Blizzard has assured players who purchased the base game that the seasonal content will be free. However, the players are concerned that Blizzard will hide content behind the paid premium battle pass in the future.
Comment
byu/Turbostrider27 from discussion
inPS5
Some have also pointed out that the seasonal updates will negatively affect the traditional Diablo gameplay loop. Veteran players are used to grinding the same dungeon over and over to farm better gear. Gamers are concerned that this grinding loop will disappear with the new seasonal updates.
Fans are expressing their concern that Diablo 4 may end up with the same problem as Destiny 2 as well. Bungie’s first-person shooter has a massive amount of daily, weekly, and monthly content which makes players complete an endless slew of challenges for rewards. This system puts pressure on players to always be active in-game for fear of missing out on cool rewards.
Players have also accused Blizzard of not including the story content in the base game. Fans fear that the studio may have shortened the story of the base game to earn more by selling additional content later on.
Blizzard has gone on to address some of the concerns raised by players. Blizzard GM Rod Fergusson clarified that the new content refers to new quest lines that will help provide context for new mechanics introduced in each season. This is similar to how Path of Exile implements seasons, adding small narrative quests that walk players through new gameplay mechanics.
Players will have to wait for Blizzard to release more information about the upcoming seasons. Until then, hardcore fans are left hoping that this incoming change will not affect the replayability of Diablo 4, which is one of the core strengths of the franchise.
Diablo 4 is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 6.
