According to a leaker, the rumoured Diablo 2 remake is going to be unveiled at the end of this week as part of the Blizzcon 2021 celebrations.
In spring 2020, a report from Actu Gaming claimed that Blizzard was in fact working on a remake of Diablo 2. Released in 2000, the original saw two million copies sold only one and a half months after launch, and it got a Guinness World Record for becoming the fastest selling PC game in history. It's widely considered to be one of the best action-role-playing games ever made, and its influence continues to hold sway within its own series and within other titles inspired by its success. Twenty years have passed, and the progression of the player's class still feels as satisfying as it did at the start, and the gothic themes of the game oozed from every pixel.
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For those willing Blizzard to return to the acclaimed second game in the series, their hopes were dashed by the admission that the source code for Diablo 2 is... kaput. "Not just our code, but all of our assets," explained creators Max and Erich Schaefer in an interview, and the archives are apparently "irrevocably, fatally corrupted," to hammer it home. "It's all gone," affirmed Erich. "We were supposed to have a backup but neglected it. We spent a day or two in sheer panic. It would make it very difficult for Blizzard to do a Diablo 2 remaster because all the assets we used are pretty much gone. They'd have to make them from scratch."
The company is focused on a number of projects at the moment, including Diablo Immortal, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. The likelihood of a Diablo 2 remake dims when taking this into account, and the fact that it supports Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm simultaneously. The teams would be rather stretched to add another game to the pile, in summary. But, leaker Kaiser499 is content to say that they're managing the task, and that we'll see the rumoured Diablo 2 remake during Blizzcon 2021.
It'll be titled Diablo 2: Resurrected, though the announcement is sure to overshadow the other Diablo news that Blizzard has apparently scheduled. We'll be getting a release date for Immortals and a new class and area reveal for Diablo 4 between Feburary 19th and February 20th. Now, we should take these claims with a circle of salt, first and foremost, but it is a very exciting tidbit. Kaiser499 was on the money for the reveal of Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, so perhaps there's something here. We'll update you as and when we know more.
Featured Image Credit: Blizzard