This week, we’ll be publishing a full interview with Videogamer, who was instrumental in creating the original Diablo and Diablo 2. While we anticipate the entire conversation, some tantalizing snippets have been released. One such excerpt involves Brevik’s criticism of the rapid-fire, immediate reward style prevalent in today’s ARPGs and MMOs, as he feels this dilutes the overall experience.
In another teaser from the interview, Brevik discussed his initial concept for Diablo 3 during its early development stages before his departure from Blizzard. Strikingly, some of his ideas align with aspects of Diablo 4 today, particularly its MMO-inspired elements. However, Brevik clarified that his approach would have diverged significantly.
“Things turn out differently; I would have made different choices than they did,” Brevik told Videogamer. “For instance, I believe a lot hinges on how they do itemization or character development, and those were directions I wasn’t focusing on.”
In my opinion, what truly makes a specific MMO stand out is its emphasis on social interaction. If the game design prioritized enhancing these social features even further, it would significantly enrich the gaming experience for me.
Early concepts of Diablo 3 have morphed into Diablo 4
It’s not the first time we’ve learned that Diablo 3 had grand plans that ultimately didn’t materialize, as detailed in Jason Schreier’s book “Play Nice: The Rise and Fall of Blizzard.” According to David Brevik, one of the game’s creators, Diablo 3 was initially intended to be a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) similar to Ultima Online. The design included large-scale multiplayer towns where many players could interact and gather in central hubs before embarking on separate adventures.
Interestingly, some of these early concepts seem reminiscent of Diablo 4’s features. However, Blizzard North found it challenging to bring this ambitious plan to life, especially as resources were diverted towards the explosive growth of World of Warcraft. As a result, Diablo 3 was eventually reined in from its original concept.
“It wasn’t just an MMO”
In an interview, Brevik explains that the original concept for the game was a mix between an Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG) and a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO). Instead of a single player perspective, it would feature multiple players in one world. You’d explore the world and see other players, form groups, and engage in activities like dungeons, similar to World of Warcraft but with Diablo-like elements. He also mentions his desire to enhance the Battle.net experience for a more immersive gameplay. However, if he were to make that game today, he wouldn’t.
Where is David Brevik now and where can I hear the interview?
Brevik departed from Blizzard after Vivendi’s takeover led to the shutdown of Blizzard North. Now, he manages his own gaming company, Skystone Games, focusing on assisting and distributing independent developers.
The VideoGamer podcast will be available on Spotify later this week.
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2025-02-10 20:09