Highlights
Diablo 4 plans to release annual expansions and quarterly seasons, following the strategy of other live service games like Destiny 2.
After achieving record-breaking sales initially, the game suffered a decline in player engagement as a result of contentious post-launch updates. Consequently, Blizzard shifted their attention towards reengaging former players and enticing new ones by providing additional content updates free of charge and introducing paid expansions.
Scheduled to commence on October 17, Diablo 4 Season 2, also known as "Season of Blood," will introduce fresh narrative elements and feature the arrival of a new character, the vampire hunter named Erys.
Blizzard's Rod Fergusson stated that Diablo 4 will have annual expansions and quarterly seasons as it aims to support the action-RPG for a long time. Although the game initially achieved great success, interest in Diablo 4 has significantly decreased since its launch earlier this summer.
While Diablo 4 sales soared upon release, subsequent updates hindered the game's reputation. Blizzard's controversial decisions with these updates diminished the enjoyment for players, causing even dedicated fans to lose interest. In an effort to revive the player base and attract new users, Blizzard intends to entice lapsed players and newcomers through both free content updates and paid expansions in the future.
Previously, it was confirmed that Diablo 4 would have expansions, but the frequency of their release was unclear. According to Blizzard's Rod Fergusson in an interview with Dexerto, Diablo 4 expansions will be released annually, accompanied by quarterly seasons. This means that fans can anticipate a new expansion in 2024 and every subsequent year as long as Blizzard continues to support the game. This release plan mirrors the approach taken by other live service games, notably Destiny 2, making it intriguing to see how it will unfold for Diablo 4.
Diablo 4 is currently in Season 1, which brought new story content and the Malignant Hearts mechanic. Unfortunately, Season 1 got off to a rough start due to controversial balance changes by Blizzard and never fully recovered. However, fans can now anticipate Diablo 4 Season 2, which will be showcased at the latest Gamescom Opening Night Live event. The upcoming season, titled Season of Blood, will begin on October 17 and will involve players teaming up with the Vampire Hunter Erys. With a fitting Halloween theme, it's sure to be an exciting experience. Additionally, fans can also look forward to substantial updates in the form of annual expansions as they eagerly await more information on Season 2.
Diablo 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Dexerto
