Diablo 4 DLC expansions will be annual, Blizzard says

Blizzard is planning to release paid-for expansions in Diablo 4Rod Fergusson confirmed that the Diablo franchise’s general manager Rod Fergusson does this on an annual base in a recent interview.

Asked by Dexerto about Blizzard’s plans for the future of the game as a live service, Fergusson said, “When you look at the launch of the game and this first season, we see that as building a foundation on which we can build for the future. So, as we look at our quarterly seasons, and we look at our annual expansions, those are the things that we’re really focused on for our live service.”

Blizzard has been clear from the startIt planned to provide support Diablo 4With paid expansions, the main storyline would be advanced (and not the side stories that are featured in seasonal updates). Fergusson’s mention that two expansions were already in development hinted at a rapid release schedule.

“We build things in parallel,” Fergusson told Kinda Funny Games at the time of the game’s launch in June. “Right now, as I sit here, we’re about to launch the main game, we’re finishing up season 1, we’re working on season 2, we’re working on expansion 1, we’re kicking off expansion 2, all that’s happening right now.”

In any case, it is the first indication that Blizzard plans to create a brand new expansion. Diablo 4Each year. It’s a big step for the series: Diablo 2 You can also find out more about the following: Diablo 3Both games received a single expansion, but both have been praised. Meanwhile, stablemate World of WarcraftGets a major new expansion every two years.

Blizzard is planning a new live service model for Diablo 4Its inspiration, however, is very clear. Destiny 2 Bungie’s game is supported by both free seasonal updates and (roughly) annual paid expansions, as well as a cosmetic item shop. Blizzard has seemed to be shadowing Bungie’s strategy for Diablo 4 for a while — with the exception of the seasonal character resets that are specific to this kind of action role-playing game — so Fergusson’s confirmation doesn’t come as a big surprise.

What to Expect from Diablo 4’s first expansion, a new class seems like a dead cert — my money would be on either Diablo 2’s Paladin or Diablo 3’s Crusader, if not an all-new class — and a confrontation with Lilith’s dad Mephisto is surely in order. Look out for a reveal at November’s BlizzCon ahead of a 2024 release date.