Diablo 4 is the upcoming sequel in Blizzard’s dungeon-crawling fantasy franchise, but there’s one big thing Blizzard should keep in mind. 2020 has been an understandably tumultuous year for game developers, with many projects being put on hold or delayed as studios work from home.
Not only that, but the debut of the next-gen consoles as both Sony and Microsoft increasingly line up exclusives for their new hardware makes the future of the gaming industry as unclear as ever. There’s one feature, however, that Diablo 4 should take from Sony’s approach to Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
There are few things the Sony Spider-Man games and the Diablo franchise have in common. Diablo has multiple classes, is a multiplayer fantasy dungeon-crawler with a gothic color palette, and has armies of angels and demons. Spider-Man is an action-adventure superhero game where players can swing through the skyscrapers of Marvel’s New York. However, the feature Diablo 4 should include is not actually a part of Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ game design itself.
Two versions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be released on November 12, 2020: the Standard Edition, and Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. The Standard Edition contains only the new content from Miles Morales, and costs $49.99, around 10 dollars cheaper than the standard price for triple-A games for around the last 15 years. The Ultimate Edition costs $69.99, and includes a remastered version of Sony and Insomniac’s original Spider-Man game for the PS5.
This helps soften the blow of a trend across the new triple-A releases as gaming enters the next generation of consoles. Sony announced in September that many next-gen games like the Demon’s Souls remake and Destruction All Stars will be releasing for around $70, a $10 price hike from the previous industry standard. Xbox followed shortly afterwards, making it clear that $70 is quickly becoming the new standard for triple-A games.
Despite the Ultimate Edition costing around $70, this makes the Spider-Man: Miles Morales package a pretty good deal. For an average of $35 each, gamers can get two full Sony Spider-Man games for PS5, which may help the company regain some good faith after the price-hike. Other evidence suggests that consumers will “happily” pay $70 for triple-A titles, but if nothing else the package deal could tip some gamers in favor of the PS5 when choosing their next-gen console this holiday season.
Blizzard has been remastering several of its old games over the last few years. Warcraft 3: Reforged recreated the classic RTS, though Warcraft 3: Reforged had its controversies. There have been rumors that Diablo 2 is next on Blizzard’s docket, with the project named Diablo 2 Resurrected. While these rumors remain to be proven true, Blizzard should consider packaging the Diablo 2 remaster in with Diablo 4.
This wouldn’t be the first time Blizzard has done a package deal either. When Diablo 3 released, it was made free to download for World of Warcraft players who committed to another full year of their WoW subscription. Between the new consoles, the price-hike, and the pandemic, wallets are tight for many gamers at the moment, and deals like these could decide which games they go for when trying to get the best value for money.
The rumored Diablo 2 remake, if packaged with Diablo 4, could also remind Blizzard fans of what made them fall in love with the company to begin with. Diablo 3 was successful but less acclaimed than the previous installment. Fortunately, Blizzard has an opportunity to look at the successes and limitations of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition when making its decision.
Diablo 4 is in development.
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