Diablo 4's Unreleased Roguelite Design

Diablo 4 was initially envisioned as a more dynamic action-adventure with permadeath, as revealed by Diablo 3 director Josh Mosqueira.

Diablo 3 Director Wanted Diablo 4 To Be Something Entirely DifferentRoguelike Action-Adventure Diablo 4 Wasn't Feasible Due to Several Complications

According to Diablo 3 director Josh Mosqueira, Diablo 4 could have been a vastly different game. Instead of the Diablo series' core action-RPG gameplay, Diablo 4 was initially conceived as a Batman: Arkham-style action-adventure game with roguelike elements.

This is from a chapter excerpt in Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier’s book, Play Nice: The Rise and Fall of Blizzard Entertainment, featured in a recent WIRED report. Key Diablo team members discussed events from Diablo 3's era leading to Diablo 4. With Diablo 3 considered a Blizzard misstep, Mosqueira aimed to create a novel Diablo experience.

The project, codenamed "Hades," involved a few artists and designers who envisioned an early Diablo 4 iteration with Mosqueira. This version would have employed a third-person camera instead of the isometric perspective. Furthermore, like Batman: Arkham, combat would have been more dynamic and impactful. And notably, death would have meant permanent character loss.

Though Mosqueira had the Blizzard executives' confidence in experimenting with a drastically different Diablo entry, "a host of factors" eventually emerged that wouldn't allow the Diablo team to realize this roguelike Diablo 4. For one, Project Hades' ambitious Arkham-style co-op multiplayer elements proved difficult to manage, and designers began to question: "Was this Diablo anymore?" Designer Julian Love pondered, "The controls are different, the rewards are different, the monsters are different, the heroes are different. But it’s dark, so it’s the same." Additionally, Blizzard developers gradually became convinced that the roguelike Diablo 4 would have essentially been a wholly new intellectual property separate from Diablo.

Diablo 4 recently launched its first major expansion DLC, Vessel of Hatred. Vessel of Hatred transports players to the sinister realm of Nahantu, set in the year 1336, delving deep into the malevolent plans of Mephisto, one of the Prime Evils, and his intricate schemes for Sanctuary. You can check out our review of the Diablo 4 DLC in the article linked below!