The RetroBeat — Diablo II: Resurrected readies for launch during a dark time at Blizzard

Diablo II: Resurrected is nearing its September 23 release date. For some gamers, it may be hard to muster much excitement. Yes, the original Diablo II, which debuted on PC back in 2000, is one of the best action-RPGs of all time. But Blizzard has found itself encircled by controversy this year, facing accusations of harassment from former and current employees, massive leadership changes,  a lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and, more recently, a complaint from Activision Blizzard King workers with support from the Communications Workers of America to the National Labor Relations.

Those issues are of the utmost importance. Now, under the shadow of this trauma, Blizzard is getting ready to release a big game, and I imagine the usual excitement that comes with finishing a big project like this may feel muted for a lot of its development team. And that’s not the only shadow Diablo II: Resurrected finds itself under. This is Blizzard’s first remake project since 2020’s disastrous Warcraft III: Reforged, which launched with bugs and missing promised features, all while making it harder to play the original (and superior version) of the game.