Rumors of a remastered version of Diablo 2 were revived last month when developer Vicarious Visions was merged into Blizzard Entertainment merged. First reported by Bloomberg, a team from Vicarious Visions is reportedly working on Diablo 2: Resurrected. Blizzard has yet to officially announce the title, but during a recent investor call, it hinted that more remastered content is slated for release this year. BlizzConline is less than two weeks away, so the company may be planning to reveal the project then, though this is just speculation.
The timing would make sense. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Diablo series, and Diablo 2 has stood the test of time as a fan favorite. With upcoming mobile entry Diablo Immortal only generating modest hype and Diablo 4 likely years away, a Diablo 2 remaster would be a great way to keep fans engaged. But such an undertaking would present its own set of challenges. After last year’s disastrous release of Warcraft 3: Reforged, scrutiny will be at an all-time high, and if Blizzard wants a Diablo 2 re-release to feel like it did in 2000, reproducing that experience will be no simple task.
One of the biggest obstacles to remastering Diablo 2 is that the original source code and assets are nowhere to be found. According to David Brevik, Project and Design Lead for the original Diablo 2, the backup storage containing the game’s code became corrupted close to release. Luckily, a few developers had test versions of the game on their personal computers, and the final version was able to be reconstructed using those pieces of code. The root code and assets were ultimately lost, so if Blizzard were to try to recreate Diablo 2 today, it would have to start from scratch.
Such a feat is certainly possible, but Brevik is doubtful that it would result in the same game. With many of the underlying systems missing, it would be difficult to create a version of Diablo 2 that feels true to the original. And if Diablo 2: Resurrected is ultimately a remake, then it’s unclear if such a project is worth the effort. Diablo 4 is already bringing back quite a few elements from Diablo 2, and the excitement of seeing those elements return could be undercut by releasing a Diablo 2 remake just a year or two prior.
Warcraft 3: Reforged is one of Blizzard’s biggest blunders in recent memory. The title failed to deliver on many of its promises, earning one of the lowest Metacritic user scores in history, as the subpar remaster could be blamed on a number of missteps, from a rushed development process to misleading advertising. No one can blame the many fans who are wary of Blizzard remasters, and fairly so. If Blizzard wants to reestablish trust with its players, Diablo 2: Resurrected will need to avoid the mistakes that plagued Warcraft 3: Reforged.
Most importantly, the developer will need to present a clear vision of what gamers can expect from the title and stick to it. One of the main complaints about Warcraft 3: Reforged was that Blizzard had announced the remaster in 2018 by showing off a reimagined cutscene from the infamous Culling of Stratholme. When the game launched in 2020, that version was nowhere to be found. To be fair, this was partially due to mixed reactions from the Blizzard community, with many WC3 fans expressing concern that the changes were too radical. Blizzard’s ultimate decision to make more conservative changes to the in-game cutscenes left fans who had been excited about the new style sorely disappointed.
It’s unclear to what extent Blizzard considered fan reactions when making this decision, but hopefully, it will avoid this kind of confusion with Diablo 2: Resurrected. If the released version doesn’t match what’s advertised, Blizzard could be looking at another fiasco. On the other hand, the rumored release date for Diablo 2: Resurrected is soon enough that this might be a non-issue. If the title is scheduled for release this year, then there may not be enough time for the final product to deviate drastically from what Blizzard shows off later this month.
Another issue with Warcraft 3: Reforged was that it made the original version of Warcraft 3 unplayable. Players who owned the original title but not the remaster were forced to download a new client to play the game. The client wasn’t properly set up for online play upon release, so players of WC3 Classic suddenly lost access to features that had been available for 18 years. Clans and ranked matchmaking went out the window in the blink of an eye. Diablo 2 still has a thriving online community, and it would be a shame to see it wiped out by a purported upgrade.
Hopefully, Blizzard will leave the original client intact for Diablo 2 Classic, as it will likely come to be called. While many Diablo 2 fans are excited by the prospect of a remaster, this isn’t true for all of them. Some players prefer the game as it exists today. Given the difficulty of faithfully reconstructing Diablo 2‘s gameplay, there’s a danger that Diablo 2: Resurrected will feel more like Diablo 2.5. While Diablo fans are used to the world of Sanctuary being reimagined with each iteration of the game, those changes would be far less welcome if they came at the cost of being able to play the original.
Warcraft 3: Reforged notwithstanding, Blizzard has generally done a good job of allowing players to choose which version of a game they wish to play. With any luck, the company will approach Diablo 2: Resurrected the same way it handled World of Warcraft Classic, allowing two versions of the game to exist at the same time. However, the dissolution of Team 1, which had been responsible for maintaining Blizzard’s library of classic games, raises some questions about whether the company will continue this approach moving forward.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is rumored to be in development.
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