With Diablo 4 out the door in early access, Blizzard is already working on two massive expansions for the hugely popular action RPG. With ten years having passed since the last mainline Diablo game, the worldwide launch of Diablo 4 is drawing in millions of players and also aims to serve as a jumping-in point for gamers who are new to the franchise.
Since Diablo 4 is being developed as a live service title, the game will take a seasonal approach to adding in new post-launch content much like its predecessor Diablo 3. Battle passes and cosmetic microtransactions will make their debut in the storied mainline dungeon-crawler franchise, as is the way of almost every live service game this day and age. The seasons will be launched quarterly and Blizzard already has the first season pretty much locked, loaded, and aiming for July, with season 2 beginning production as well.
There has never been a mainline Diablo game without at least one major expansion. As Diablo 4 has been rolling out, many fans have been wondering about when Blizzard would inevitably begin talks about expansion plans. On Kinda Funny's XCAST, Diablo producer Rod Fergusson made an appearance and was being asked about Diablo 4's status as a live service title. He went on to reveal that alongside the first two seasons, the Diablo team does have two full expansions currently in the works.
With the second expansion already in the oven, it's possible that the first one could be on the way sooner than expected. Though it's likely that once finished, Blizzard will hold onto it for at least a few months before making it live in order to make sure it's not rushing its live service model and outpacing its meticulously planned post-launch development. Even though the franchise is known for long-tailed games, there hasn't been a mainline Diablo title to have more than two expansions. However, with Diablo 4 being treated and developed as a modern live service, it's possible that there may room for more than two major expansions down the line, especially with how ahead of the curve Blizzard already is on developing these first two.
With players delving into the rich world of Diablo 4 for the first time, they have hours upon hours of fun, dungeon-crawling action RPG gameplay ahead of them before they start to hit the end of the runway. Though some players are rushing to reach level 100, others are taking their time exploring all Diablo 4 has to offer. Whether speedrunning to the endgame or smelling the roses, one thing is for sure: there will be plenty for Diablo 4 fans to look forward to in the months and years ahead.
Diablo 4 comes out on June 6 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: Kinda Funny
