BODY: Thirty years after the original Diablo came out, Blizzard is marking the anniversary in a big way. At BlizzCon, the studio released a run of Diablo news, and Japan's GAME Watch spoke with the Diablo IV developers about what comes next.
The biggest news was a surprise: Diablo V is officially in the works. Blizzard didn't share many details about the sequel, but the announcement shows the company plans to keep the series going well past its 30th year.
For people playing now, Diablo IV has plenty coming. A new season, called "็้บ็ถๆฟ" in Japanese (roughly "Hellish Inheritance"), looks back at the series' 30-year history. A new paid class pack also brings back the Amazon. Many players remember the class from Diablo II, where she fought with bows, javelins and spears. In the interview, the developers talked about how the season and the class are meant to celebrate the series' past while still fitting Diablo IV's current systems.
Blizzard also officially announced a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Diablo IV. That puts the game on Nintendo's new hybrid console, so players can take it on the go. Outside of games, Netflix is making an animated Diablo series. It will be one of the franchise's most prominent moves into other media so far.
Together, the announcements make 2026 a full anniversary year, with new content for current players, a way in for new ones, and a clear sign that the series has a future.
The insider take
In Japan, Diablo has long been a cult favorite rather than a mainstream hit. The PC-centered action RPG never had the reach here that homegrown series like Monster Hunter have. That began to change when the series came to consoles, and a Switch 2 version could matter more in Japan than anywhere else. Nintendo hardware leads the Japanese market, and handheld play fits the country's commutes. The Amazon's return will also land well with Japanese veterans who played Diablo II on PC in the early 2000s, when "Amazoness" became a favorite class among local fans. With Japanese anime fans already watching Netflix, the animated series could bring in a whole new audience.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).