[rumor] Is Blizzard making a Diablo MMO?

[caervek]

in WoW, there are various villians and motives for things. Diablo is a much more bland story, lacking the wealth of pre made lore from the RTS games.

In fairness Diablo is a bigger franchise today than Warcraft was when WoW launched, it's not like there would be any shortage of lore/characters/etc. And then you have to factor in that most WoW players never even saw the RTS games nevermind played them, so it's not like a Diablo MMO would depend much on the existing player base just like WoW didn't.

[Biomega]

I remain firm in my belief that it will be a traditional MMORPG/AARPG hybrid of sorts. Taking the progression, scale, and group content model of WoW and combining it with the fast-paced, bite-sized, pseudorandom aspects of D3. Less open world and more based on maps, but with a story/endgame system that allows for constant and open-ended expansion without devolving into a repetitious grind to the degree of D3.

It's essentially a combination of the good parts, while trying to mitigate the bad. We've already seen WoW adapt a ton of D3 systems, from loot to "Rift-like" dungeons. Now they'll do the same in reverse, addressing D3's niche appeal (loot grind) by expanding it with the group-content endgame models that have made WoW so successful (dungeon/raid).

Monetization would probably involve microtransactions for vanity and convenience (that probably doesn't surprise anyone) as well as buy-to-play for the main game and large expansions (like WoW).

It also wouldn't surprise me if they brought it out on console as well as PC.

[Verdugo]

But Legion is already Dia...damn 50 people already beat me to that insanely witty and humorous joke.

But its not a joke.

[Alvito]

In fairness Diablo is a bigger franchise today than Warcraft was when WoW launched, it's not like there would be any shortage of lore/characters/etc. And then you have to factor in that most WoW players never even saw the RTS games nevermind played them, so it's not like a Diablo MMO would depend much on the existing player base just like WoW didn't.

WoW did have a lot of lore built up through those RTS games and had things to build from. Diablo just about wipes out it's lore with each expansion. Either way it matters little the chances of Blizzard spending the time and money to develop another MMO is tiny on the best of days. They are focusing on their current games and ways to jump in on the phone and tablet market, since those games make a killing with very little design time. It has only been 2 years since Clash of Clans was one of the biggest money makers and it had a staff of less then 10 people for a very long time.

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I disagree a lot with this, because we already KNOW after the titan project failed and got scrapped they had to draft 2 games (they ended up drafting 3, the 3rd of which was overwatch) and of those first 2 we know one was an mmorpg in one of their other IPs.

I think it's highly possible it could be a Diablo MMO, and timing wise would support that idea as well because they were still doing stuff with Starcraft.

MMO's were much more popular at the time. They learned from Titan and have moved on. If nothing else the 2 years of development time to end up with nothing would almost certainly scare them off from the MMO market even if it wasn't a dying genre of games.

[unbound]

They don;t make more money from WoW, they have less subs, and the sub price has never increased, it has remained static whilst inflation has reduced the overall value of the whole thing. Also, they have more auxiliary staff than ever before for WoW, and whilst they have invested a lot in automation, it still costs a fortune. MMORPG games like WoW cost far more to develop than many people realise, they take years of investment before you even begin to see any return on your money, and they take years of investment afterwards to keep them going, in the hopes you have a hit. They simply are not financially viable. The only reason we saw so many is people ju,ped on the bandwagon (like the did with FB games and such as well) and thought they would hit a cash cow, and didn't realise just how much work Blizz put into WoW in the first place. Luck was also a huge factor in hitting the zeitgeist also.

Simply put, as I said before, MMORPGs just aren't worth the sheer monetary investment to make. They cost a LOT more to design, bug test, and code than say, an FPS shooter game like Overwatch. Arguing otherwise is just honestly false.

Sorry, but that is not largely wrong.

WoW has been gutting their support team year after year starting with the release of Cata. You could see it clearly in the financials up until a couple of years ago when they merged all online activities into the same reporting.

So while subs have fallen, they have reduced their costs substantially in regards to running WoW, and the have boosted the price of the subscription via the WoW Token. It is still a massive cash cow for them. The last time I calculated out the financials, when the reporting was largely separate but before the effect of the WoW Token, they were spending less than 20% of their receipts back into WoW. And, yes, they made their investment into WoW back a very long time ago.

And, BTW, a number of studios have also been financially successful off of the MMORPG genre, albeit not nearly to the level that Blizzard has been.

The reality is not that MMORPGs are money losers; the reality is that MMOFPS and MOBAs cost substantially less, but can earn quite a bit of money. And this is what you see at Blizzard...WoW cost a lot and continues to give them a lot of money. But would you are better off putting out games such as HotS, Hearthstone, and Overwatch for a small fraction of the initial price and even less to maintain, while spending a moderate amount on development.

Corporations operate by quarterly profits. Long-term planning to large corporations only go a few years ahead at a time. When Blizzard became a large corporate entity, this line of thinking dominated...and will continue to dominate as the primary purpose of any large corporation is to satisfy their shareholders, not their clients. When you understand this, how Blizzard does things becomes much easier to understand.

[Deleted]

Is blizzard making a Diablo MMO ? They already have!
*freeze frame* *audience laughter* *seinfeld.mp3 starts to play*

[SinR]

Blizzard just needs to release an expansion for Diablo3.

more story please

[Deleted]

I think its going to be more Destiny/less WoW.

If they make Diablo into a shooter aswell i'm going to shit myself in dissapointment.

Blizzard is an rpg/rts company.

I also dont see them making a diablo shooter. It would most likely be bloze to Overwatch in gameplay(not setting or story obviously) and would compete with it.

New Diablo game could be a rts, RPG a la skyrim, a Diablo 4 or a diablo mmo.

[Wondercrab]

I sincerely doubt we'll see a Diablo "MMO" in the traditional sense, but it wouldn't surprise me if Blizzard's next big Diablo project handled its multiplayer elements similarly to something like Path of Exile or Warframe. Basically integrating the multiplayer more organically into the singleplayer, making it easier to interact with other players, and fostering that sense of a living world rather than an isolated one.

[Nyel]

Can anyone please explain what would be the difference between a Diablo MMORPG and WoW? I can't find one except the setting.

[Deleted]

Can anyone please explain what would be the difference between a Diablo MMORPG and WoW? I can't find one except the setting.

Have you seen the Diablo mmo?

I've seen a lot of people say this and i am unsure about what they mean.

[Nyel]

Have you seen the Diablo mmo?

I've seen a lot of people say this and i am unsure about what they mean.

No I haven't, like 99,99999999999999999%. The question is: what is different in an Diablo MMORPG? They incorporated so many many many elements of Diablo in WoW that I really can't see any difference except the setting. Diablo as an MMORPG would somehow a competitor to WoW and I don't know if Blizzard is going to do that.

[Pua]

I'm inclined to wait and see what BlizzCon delivers.

[Deleted]

No I haven't, like 99,99999999999999999%. The question is: what is different in an Diablo MMORPG? They incorporated so many many many elements of Diablo in WoW that I really can't see any difference except the setting. Diablo as an MMORPG would somehow a competitor to WoW and I don't know if Blizzard is going to do that.

Who says Diablo mmo is going to be like diablo though?

I dont think a diablo mmo is likely. But id doesnt take that much of an imagination to make it a different kind of mmo then WoW is

[McFuu]

For anyone unclear..

Diablo 3 is an MMO in the technical definition. It literally just means a multiplayer online game.

MMO does not mean giant free roam RPG world.

This could be Diablo 4 with the standard Diablo gameplay.

Also from a business perspective, making two of the same type of online multiplayer game is not typically a wise business decision.

MMO requires a world with simultaneous use by many people. Hence the Massively part of MMO. So games like Diablo II, and D3 are just MO games. Hell games like Guildwars are basically multiplayer too, seeing as only 8 people can exist in an instanced zone at one time and the only time it's an actual MMO is in town, or multiplayer. If it weren't for multiplayer GW would not be an MMO, but basically a MO with an open world lobby system (towns).

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I'd prefer a Diablo MMO over a Warcraft one anyday. The story telling in Diablo is better suited to the MMO system, as opposed to warcraft which always revolved around armies fighting each other and the story advancing that way. Diablo has always been very personal which allows for small scale story telling in an MMO world which is the best part of WoW's story. I'm talking about side quests, off the main quest.

[Traveler Voltin]

the last diablo 3 expansion maybe.

[yuca247]

I remain firm in my belief that it will be a traditional MMORPG/AARPG hybrid of sorts. Taking the progression, scale, and group content model of WoW and combining it with the fast-paced, bite-sized, pseudorandom aspects of D3. Less open world and more based on maps, but with a story/endgame system that allows for constant and open-ended expansion without devolving into a repetitious grind to the degree of D3.

It's essentially a combination of the good parts, while trying to mitigate the bad. We've already seen WoW adapt a ton of D3 systems, from loot to "Rift-like" dungeons. Now they'll do the same in reverse, addressing D3's niche appeal (loot grind) by expanding it with the group-content endgame models that have made WoW so successful (dungeon/raid).

Monetization would probably involve microtransactions for vanity and convenience (that probably doesn't surprise anyone) as well as buy-to-play for the main game and large expansions (like WoW).

It also wouldn't surprise me if they brought it out on console as well as PC.

My thoughts as well I don't think they'll develop a full fledged diablo mmo but I can see them integrating mmo elements into the diablo franchise.

[Nyel]

Who says Diablo mmo is going to be like diablo though?

I dont think a diablo mmo is likely. But id doesnt take that much of an imagination to make it a different kind of mmo then WoW is

Would you mind telling me what's different then in your opinion?

[JohnnyMccrum]

The chances of this are slim to non-existent.

business-wise it makes no sense when they can continue to milk D3.

they know it won't be successful, considering how much shit they got for D3.

the market is heavily saturated with roguelikes (PoE, Div2, torchlight, D3)

It'd be a market in which blizzard would make very little impact, it is a game that also nobody really cares about.

PubG just tried to take the overwatch market with fortnite.

In addition i'm pretty certain Blizzard has no plans for another MMO right now, or a new game.

If I was blizzard the next step is Warcraft 4 and a WoW reboot (either WoW II or legacy), but this is what the wider gaming community would like, not blizzard.

[Adlian]

I honestly wont be surprised if they are working on a Diablo based MMO. Maybe thats why they are slowly dumbing down WoW and reusing Diablo 3 mechanics, leaving room for a pure mmo game.