So wait, go Diablo IV be an Xbox exclusive? The world is in turmoil right now grappling with the possibilities of Microsoft's latest acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As a result of this nearly $70 billion seizure, Microsoft now owns all Activision companies, including Blizzard, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, and more. These well-developed and hugely popular game companies are responsible for world-class favorites like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and even Diablo.
Diablo IV is the highly anticipated next installment in the popular Diablo series. The game was announced in late 2022 and has seen a few minor updates since. At BlizzCon 2022, while we were greeted with more Diablo IV, Blizzard also let us know that we wouldn't be seeing a release of their game for a while. Expect a 2023 release at the earliest. With gorgeous graphics, stunning combat, and a remarkable world, it's one we'd hate to see locked behind Xbox doors.
Most likely, and hopefully, Diablo IV won't be an Xbox exclusive. Microsoft admitted in its recent press release that "Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed across a variety of platforms, and we plan to continue supporting these communities in the future." While it's not specifically stated that games like Diablo IV won't become Xbox exclusives, we can hope that Microsoft sees the benefit of keeping these wildly popular games in the third-party realm.
Microsoft's second most recent acquisition was ZeniMax Media, which saw Xbox slipping away some of the best IPs, namely Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, and even the upcoming Starfield. While all of these are now unfortunately Xbox property, we continue to hope that not all Activision Blizzard properties will be strictly Xbox exclusives.
The reasons for believing that Diablo IV will not be an Xbox exclusive can be discussed anyway. Some of the reasons why it won't is that Diablo games, while accessible and popular as a single-player experience, thrive on community and multiplayer. It would hurt Microsoft, in the long run, to lose fans by making Diablo IV an Xbox-exclusive console.
On the other hand, Diablo IV is different from Call of Duty or Overwatch. Both of these games are massive multiplayer experiences with much larger audiences on both sides of the console coin. Diablo, however, is not so much. For this reason, it's reasonable to believe that Diablo IV could be an Xbox exclusive upon release.
Diablo IV is expected to release in 2023. Stay tuned for more updates.
