Diablo 4 will not be appearing at BlizzConline next week, which was assumed as much but will still leave a lot of fans pretty disappointed.
According to a schedule posted online earlier today, Blizzard Entertainment will be bringing all of its flagships to BlizzConline including a sneak peek behind the scenes of Overwatch 2 which potentially features some work-in-progress footage. Diablo 4 however, as another in-development sequel, will be missing in action.
Blizzard will instead be sharing the latest content roadmap of Diablo 3 and featuring a developer panel to discuss “recent learnings.” BlizzConline will also see to a sitting with community artist Gerald Brom who has done artworks for the entire Diablo franchise including Diablo 4. At the very least, Brom may take the opportunity to share some new illustrations for the sequel.
While not mentioned in the schedule, expect Blizzard to share some updates on the upcoming Diablo Immortals mobile game and perhaps the rumored Diablo 2 remake which has been dubbed Diablo 2: Resurrected.
During an earnings call last week for the fourth quarter ended of the 2020 financial year, Activision Blizzard stated that both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 are still in development and will not be releasing in 2021.
That as well as the absence from BlizzConline should not be surprising. Diablo 4 has only been receiving quarterly updates with speculations pinning a release somewhere around 2023 or 2024. Blizzard Entertainment will be supporting Diablo 3 with new seasonal content until then.
That being said, something game director Luis Barriga said in December was taken as a tease for a new Diablo 4 class being revealed during BlizzConline. Blizzard has already revealed three classes so far: the barbarian, sorceress, and druid. The game will however have five classes in total at release. Perhaps legendary artist Brom is appearing just for this purpose.
BlizzConline takes place on February 19 and 20. This will be the first digital-only rendition of the annual event in history because of COVID-19.
