Diablo 4's Genesis: Roguelite Origins Revealed

Diablo 4 was initially designed to be a more forceful action-adventure with permadeath, as revealed by Diablo 3 director Josh Mosqueira.

Diablo 3 Director Wanted Diablo 4 To Be Something Completely NewRoguelike Action-Adventure Diablo 4 Didn't Work Out Because of Several Complications

According to Diablo 3 director Josh Mosqueira, Diablo 4 could have turned out to be an entirely different game. Instead of the Diablo series core action-RPG gameplay, Diablo 4 was initially envisioned to play like a Batman: Arkham-esque action-adventure experience featuring roguelike mechanics.

This comes from a chapter excerpt in Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier’s book, Play Nice: The Rise and Fall of Blizzard Entertainment, shared in a recent report on WIRED. Key people from the Diablo team delved into events from Diablo 3's era leading into Diablo 4. With Diablo 3 seen as a failure for Blizzard, Mosqueira shared that he wanted to create something completely new in the Diablo series.

At the time, the project was codenamed "Hades," with a few artists and designers on board that conceptualized an earlier version of Diablo 4 with Mosqueira. This version of Diablo 4 would have used an over-the-shoulder camera instead of an isometric view. Moreover, similar to Batman: Arkham, the combat would have been more action-packed and "punchier." And more interestingly, if you die you would have had to deal with permadeath where your character dies for good.

Though Mosqueira had the upper management's confidence in experimenting with a drastically different Diablo entry, "a host of factors" eventually popped up that wouldn't allow the Diablo team to turn this roguelike Diablo 4 into reality. For one, Project Hades' ambitious Arkham-esque co-op multiplayer elements turned out to be difficult to work around, and designers began to question: "Was this Diablo anymore?" Designer Julian Love mused, "The controls are different, the rewards are different, the monsters are different, the heroes are different. But it’s dark, so it’s the same." Additionally, Blizzard staff slowly became convinced that the roguelike Diablo 4 would have essentially been an entirely new IP separate from Diablo.

Diablo 4 recently launched its first major expansion update, Vessel of Hatred. Vessel of Hatred transports players to the sinister realm of Nahantu, set in the year 1336, delving deep into the malevolent plans of Mephisto, one of the Prime Evils, and his intricate schemes for Sanctuary. You can check out our review of the Diablo 4 update in the article linked below!