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Blizzard is aiming for an April 2023 launch for its long-awaited Diablo IV, according to new reports.
Per GamesRadar, the fourth main-series installment in the Diablo franchise is gearing up for a reveal at The Game Awards, set to take place on Dec. 8. After its unveiling, the game will reportedly be made available for pre-order. Blizzard is reportedly planning a public beta in February to test its server capacities before officially launching Diablo IV sometime in April 2023. The dates were first mentioned on an episode of the XboxEra podcast and were later backed up by other outlets.
Speculation has mounted in recent months over when Diablo IV would launch, with the game going through two closed betas in 2022. In a bid to prevent story spoilers from ruining the game's narrative experience, the most recent Diablo IV beta gave fans a chance to play the RPG's end-game. Only select long-time Diablo fans were invited to join, with Blizzard saying it wanted to make franchise regulars a priority after years of community resentment about being overlooked by the company. A previous closed alpha test for friends and family of Blizzard employees took place in August, which reportedly left players impressed with Diablo IV and its gameplay.
More recently, a significant security breach at Blizzard resulted in major Diablo IV leaks circulating on social media. Over 40 minutes of gameplay footage spread across forums and was downloaded by players hundreds of times. The videos showed off Diablo IV's Barbarian class, as well as the in-game cosmetics store, user interface and wares sold by various merchants. Fans also got their first look at the game's combat system, albeit in unfinished dungeons full of missing textures and polygons.
Fans hope Diablo IV can redeem the faltering image of the nearly 25-year-old franchise after the controversial roll-out of the Diablo Immortal mobile game. Players panned it upon its release for its pay-to-win design, and it was ultimately banned in two countries, including its primary target market: China. Blizzard has promised many features for Diablo IV, including dynamic weather, full character customization and over 100 dungeons. The company has also prioritized inclusivity for Diablo IV, allowing players to create characters that utilize "hundreds of componentized armor sets" and "different body types" to make an avatar that best represents them.
Blizzard has not commented on the recent reports regarding Diablo IV's release date or reveal at The Game Awards.
Source: XboxEra, via GamesRadar