Diablo 2: Resurrected has finally launched, and while its suffered from some expected connectivity issues, the game has otherwise been mostly well-received by fans. Many seem to be in agreement that it is a faithful recreation of the original Diablo 2 and has mostly lived up to expectations, with some of the lingering problems likely to be ironed out as part of future updates from Blizzard.
Diablo 2: Resurrected's successful launch has fans reminiscing about the Diablo games in general, including Blizzard fan Ian Bates, aka TheRedShirtGuy on Twitter. In recognition of Diablo 2: Resurrected's launch, Bates has started a Twitter thread about all of the Diablo projects that Blizzard has canceled over the years, which included some rather interesting takes on the franchise.
From the Pokemon-inspired Diablo Jr. to the Dark Souls-inspired Project Hades, here are all of the Diablo games that Blizzard has canceled.
Diablo Jr.
After the release of Diablo 2, a small number of Blizzard employees started work on a handheld Diablo spin-off game that was known as Diablo Jr. since kids were its target audience instead of adults. Inspired by the Pokemon video games, Diablo Jr. would've seen multiple versions of it released, and would've been developed for either the original Game Boy or the Game Boy Advance. Blizzard played with making the game turn-based like Pokemon as well, which would've been a huge difference from the other Diablo games. Ultimately, the decision was made to cancel Diablo Jr. as it didn't fall in line with the company's vision for its products, and there would've been added manufacturing costs thanks to it being a cartridge game and not a PC release.
Diablo 2: Salvation
Blizzard registered a trademark for a project called Diablo 2: Salvation that never actually saw the light of day, but the general consensus seems to be that it would've been an expansion pack for Diablo 2. According to the Diablo Wiki, Diablo 2: Salvation would've had an increased focus on multiplayer, with guildhalls that players could work together to improve and upgrade. Diablo 2's playable classes would've grown with the proposed expansion as well, adding two more classes to the mix. Ultimately, the decision was made to leave Diablo 2 behind and start work on Diablo 3, though it's unclear if those proposed ideas would've been part of the Diablo 2: Salvation trademark or if that trademark was for a completely different project.
Diablo 3 (Blizzard North Version)
When one considers how successful the original Diablo 2 was, it's somewhat surprising that it took Blizzard so long to release Diablo 3. However, it's not like Blizzard wasn't working on Diablo 3. As a matter of fact, Blizzard North was working on a version of Diablo 3 for years before that particular studio was closed down and development restarted to become the Diablo 3 that actually hit store shelves.
Not much is known about the Blizzard North version of Diablo 3 in an official capacity, but rumors suggest that the game would've taken place primarily in Heaven. It stands to reason that some of the ideas for Diablo 3 were retained for the final version of the game as parts of it do indeed to take place in Heaven.
Diablo 3: The King in the North
Diablo 3's last major expansion was Reaper of Souls, but as it turns out, Blizzard had another possible expansion up its sleeve. There were plans to release an expansion for Diablo 3 called The King in the North, but the idea was ultimately scrapped. Blizzard had already developed some content for the planned King in the North expansion for Diablo 3, which was then released to players as free content updates.
Similarly to how Diablo 2 expansions were apparently passed over so the developers could focus on future projects, that is also reportedly a reason for Diablo 3: The King in the North's cancellation. Another possible reason is that Diablo 3 is not as profitable as Blizzard's other games like World of Warcraft, as it does not require a subscription fee and has no major microtransactions. According to the wiki, developers moved on to the Diablo Immortal mobile game and Diablo 4 after it was decided that The King in the North expansion wasn't going to happen.
Project Hades
Project Hades was the codename for Blizzard's original vision for Diablo 4, which started development after plans for The King in the North were scrapped. Since Project Hades was also canceled, not much has been seen or shared about it in an official capacity, but the game would've apparently been more similar to FromSoftware's Dark Souls games as opposed to a traditional Diablo title. Former Blizzard employee Josh Mosqueira was taking point on Project Hades, but when he left Blizzard the project was canceled.
Source: The Red Shirt Guy/Twitter, Diablo Wiki