Diablo IV Announced

We’ve known for a while now that Blizzard Entertainment has been working on a new entry in their venerable Diablo series of hack ‘n’ slash action-RPGs. And thanks to a grim nine-minute long cinematic unveiled during this year’s Blizzcon, we now also know that this new game will be known simply as Diablo IV. The game will feature a shared open world, five character classes, rideable mounts, and a bleak story that will attempt to remind everyone of the series’ dark and scary roots. So, let’s check out that cinematic:

And then watch this gameplay trailer:

Some additional details:

After the destruction of the Black Soulstone, the defeat of the Prime Evil, and the fall of Malthael, Angel of Death, countless lives have been lost and the denizens of Sanctuary find themselves struggling through the darkest of ages. Years have passed and, as some semblance of regular life starts rebuilding, a threat as old as the land itself begins to stir.

Diablo IV is the newest incarnation of the genre-defining ARPG players have come to know and love. Hellish new features, brutal challenges, and an indisputable return to darkness lie at the core of the game. Take a glimpse into the terror that awaits[…]

A Bleak Future

Diablo IV takes place many years after the events of Diablo III, after millions have been slaughtered by the actions of the High Heavens and Burning Hells alike. In the power vacuum, a legendary name resurfaces—Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, the whispered progenitor of humanity. Her grip on Sanctuary cuts deep into the hearts of men and women alike, cultivating the worst in its denizens and leaving the world a dark, hopeless place.

An Open Sanctuary to Explore

With Diablo IV, we are cracking open the campaign approach to broaden Sanctuary in a way we’ve never explored. With a fully open world, players will be able to adventure across five distinctively dangerous regions in any order, all seamlessly connected for uninterrupted journeys.

Mount up and roam from zone to zone completing public events with others or explore populated town social hubs to party up and trade. Challenge a world boss or even other players for treasure and glory! The world, along with its deadly inhabitants, awaits.

While it’s dangerous to go alone, you might prefer to solo your way through Sanctuary. Anyone can explore the campaign at their own pace, plumb randomized dungeons for rare loot, and find any item without joining a group. Keyed dungeons will offer a new endgame experience available to individual players as well as groups of up to four! You’ll want to stay tuned to find out more!

The Classes of Diablo IV

Players will be able to choose between five different, unique classes on launch. Let’s start with a few fan favorites, three of which we’re revealing today at BlizzCon:

• The Barbarian: Crush enemies and wade through combat with reckless abandon.
• The Sorceress: Freeze, scorch, or shock your foes with immeasurable arcane power.
• The Druid: Shift between primal forms while commanding the fury of nature itself.

On top of that, you might be interested in this PC Gamer article that confirms that Diablo IV will not have an offline mode and lets us know that the game is still in the early stages of development. Then, there’s a number of facts about the game assembled during a community Q&A by the folks over at DiabloFans.