During an IRC chat, Richard A. Knaak, the author of The Sin War trilogy of Diablo books, confirmed that Diablo isn’t dead yet.
The Knaak interview was scheduled quite late (in Europe anyway) but this didn’t prevent people asking the right questions.
The only right question in mind is: “What are Blizzard’s plan for the Diablo franchise?” Naturally, Blizzard has enforced Knaak contractually to keep silent about product releases. He definitely HINTED about another Diablo coming though.
Q: Any information on Diablo 3? Have you been asked to write a further story?
A: What happens in the Sin War is significant, as I mentioned, toward the future. I know that Blizzard is very eager to make Diablo fans happy.
Q: How much of the book is creation of yours, and how involved is Chris Metzen behind the canon storyline of Diablo: The Sin War Trilogy? Do you think the ramifications of this book impact in the storyline of Diablo 3 the game?
A: This is a pure collaboration between myself and Chris/Blizzard. All that is written is passed by him and the others there. This will be canon and has adjusted earlier info. The ramifications here will be used for any future project…and I ain’t writing for a dead game.
Q: So… Diablo 3?
A: I am not writing for a dead world…but a world with dead. Nuff said.
Note the last question – would’ve been MY question as well. I am not writing for a dead world… – that’s enought for me as well. It’s Blizzard’s turn to create some more buzz and probably show up with a trailer in 2007.
How does this confirm Diablo 3?
The world of Diablo is not dead yet, there are plenty of gamers playing Diablo 2, and Blizzard is still providing support for it.
It does not mean Diablo 3 will eventually come out.
Alright, now, IMHO, Diablo 3 will be out after SC:Ghost will. This game has been delayed too much, and I doubt they will abandon their project. As for Diablo 3, I believe 2007 is too early. It will probably be spring 2008.
Anyways, why so much speculation? Why don’t everyone just shut up and wait for them to move instead of going after them and spreading wrong information? The world of Peter Pan is not dead, yet I don’t think anyone is developing it further.
– Simon –
Hi Simon, you’re free to interpret it as you see fit. There could be some wishful thinking on my part, but hey, this isn’t the Washington Post.
Frankly, Blizzard pretty much HAS to do a Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. Not making it, will be like Peter Jackson stopping at the Two Towers. The fans will HATE them.
As a captain of the Royal Navy I say ol’ chaps: I don’t believe it till I see it. But I wish there was Diablo 3. I would have sex with it. But until then I will have sex with girls and wait for something to randomly happen. Hoorah.
I want D3 as bad as anybody, but looking at Blizzard sheets, the contract for WoW does not expire until around 2010, so unless blizzard is getting together a completely new team, we might not be seeing anything significant until 2010.
In response to BlackOut: I hate to admit it, but you’re probably right.
Have a look at how long they have been working on the other games, almost 10 years on WoW for example. Worst case scenario would be WoW having blocked off all of Blizz’s resources for meaningful time-spending on other projects >>> WoW released in 05, first real signs of DIII (trailers and such) might not be seen untill 2012/2013, planned release 2014, becoming 2015/2016 in the end. That is, IF it’s being developed at all and IF it’s not such a dramatic development as SC: Ghost.
But I must say the rumour-mill is so active, looks promising: Blizzard is known for stirring up rumours themselves 1-3 years before release, so who knows. Rumours like this one here are also decent indications of ‘it might very well be…’.
Quote: “so unless blizzard is getting together a completely new team”
Irrelevant, one of the major rumours included Blizzard looking for new employees to join the team that worked on D1&2; apparantly, the team you speak of already exists.
But, we’ll see….. BRING IT…..! NOW!!!!!!
I dont know why you guys are even mentioning SC: Ghost, its been abandoned like 8 times. If you didnt know heres basically what happened;
Blizzard gave SC: Ghost to a company called Nihilistic. Nihilistic really fucked it up. (look for SC: Ghost gameplay screenshots, it looks like early PS2..) So Blizzard took it back. They would have to start completely over, which seeing their projects now, doesnt seem too likely.
And as for Starcraft 2, sure they havent made an expansion for diablo since 2001, but SC reaches way back to 1998. It’s been expected to have a second one coming since 1999, it just doesn’t seem all too likely to happen soon.
And as for WoW, think for a sec, if the contract ends at 2010, and Blizzard wants to work on other games, they’ve got a fully active team that was working on WoW PLUS a shitload of cash in their pockets, it wouldnt be too hard for BLizzard to get a huge team working D3 and Sc2.
Speculation has been the birthrite to every major release of Blizzard. I’ve personally seen complete 3D renderings (a la WoW broken server) to the expansion Burning Crusade 2 years before its release. As I’m sure everyone remembers it was just a rumor for quite a while. (hell moving way back we can look at the original Warcraft and how long it took them (4 years) for an expansion — and thats with a team that already had a plan laid out and the money set aside)
Diablo 3 WILL happen, there is no question. Back in the Diablo (original) days we all shouted for a Diablo II and 5 or so years after Hellfire we got it. LoD hasn’t been out THAT long and it revealed a massive ammount of new content. Not to mention the subsequent patches since 1.10 have unlocked quite a bit more (lets look at the new Ubers storyline in 1.11b).
But what do I know? I am, after all, just a little fan boy. (I do however own every Blizz game right down to the good old Vikings)
I can not wait for diablo 3 to come out but in saying that take a look at their track record as previous people have been stateing. Their lack of speed is of course shown through the release date of the diablo/war/starcraft series. There will be a diablo 3 because millions of people still religiously play diablo 2 and diablo 2 lod and diablo 1 and diablo hellfire to the point where staff MUST be put on to moniter the gaming community and still bring out new content via patches on diablo 2. it will happen but the only thing is with the track record as stated earlier we will have a long time to wait…. but do not cry as think of it as blizzards baby, it’s been concieved, now they got to wait till it grows into something they want to bring out into this world and let it mature.
3 things will be for sure though:
1. it will be a mmorpg – they can only go so far with world of warcraft with their ideas throughout the warcraft lore/past etc and that means their say “120 people” looking after the development of wow and looking after the servers etc can be cut down to say “30 people” which means that 90 people have nothing to do except SC and DIABLO 3!!! and also the amount of people theyll lose from wow with warhammer means they wont be getting their annual 1.3 billion dollars from the wow franchise anymore so theyll need money from another mmorpg….diablo3….
2. the storyline will be unbelieveable – i mean look how d2 LoD ends? tyreal destroys the worldstone allowing safe passage from hell into earth and heaven same as heaven into earth into hell. mephisto’s and diablo’s soulstones get destroyed but what about baal’s? are we going to see another hero wannabe shoveing a random jagged bit of crystal into his skull like it turns him/her on or something? and the new storyline of the uber’s that have come out. it opens up so many possibilities. IMHO wat they will do and if they haven’t thought of this then they should read my idea, EVERY and i mean EVERY mini boss to big boss, (i.e the butcher, arch bishop lazurus, andariel, the countess,lilith, the list goes on) should be, if it is infact an mmorpg should be reborn from the pits of the abyss now that its open from the destruction of the worldstone and they should each be a big boss in a dungeon u must conquer.
3. IT WILL BLOODY ROCKKKKK!!!!!!!!
