A Decade of Diablo

Did you know that today is the 13th anniversary of the original Diablo?  To celebrate such a momentous occasion, DiabloFans.com has put together a “Decade of Diablo” editorial that briefly takes us through important Diablo-related happenings from the pre-2000 years until today. Perhaps we had better start from the beginning…

Now, before we get into recapping the current decade, it’s necessary to explore the roots of the series. Which, as we all know, was Diablo I.

This monster of a game dominated the RPG scene when it came out, which was December 31st, 1996. Battle-net was introduced with this game, and broke countless boundaries, and surpassed even the expectations of Blizzard. Few, if any, games offered such a utility before Diablo, players could easily connect to each other from across the world, and it was free to boot.

The game itself was also a roaring success, the game has an unprecedented amount of monsters, items, and randomization. Over 150 monsters populated the dungeons of Diablo, at a time when most game developers were proud of 10 types of monsters.

On a personal level, many Diablo players look fondly back upon this game as one of their most favorite games. Myself included. The atmosphere, and gameplay, was something completely new to us all, and it practically spawned its own genre of games, which are referred to as “Diablo Clones.”

In related news, Diii.net has begun a “Diablo III Year in Review” series here, here, and here.