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Last year, Blizzard's Diablo III was slated for a release in early 2012, but that date is looking more tentative all the time. Blizzard's game director has posted a long list of updates made in response to beta feedback, including changes to character balance, removal of several items, and some UI tweaks. The blog post has a full list of the changes, many of which seem designed to limit redundancy or streamline the UI — items like the Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube were judged superfluous because the things they were used for could already be done in a simpler way.
Also in the works are "major changes to the skill and rune systems," which aren't being discussed yet but will probably push back the game's release. The game director began his update with a long justification of why changes were being made, saying that "we trust in our ability to put out a great game, but we're not quite there yet." While we don't know how extensive the updates are, the Diablo team is clearly hinting at some delays.
And these aren't the only changes at Blizzard. Last week, Diablo III senior producer Steve Parker tweeted the following:
Hey Twitter, I'm no longer working at Blizzard or on D3. I've had a great 5 years there and those guys are going to kill it with Diablo.
— Steve Parker (@retailsails) January 20, 2012
Parker hasn't given any further details, but says he is looking forward to "bigger and better things." Blizzard, meanwhile, is currently hiring for the position of Diablo III senior producer.
Comments
Bigger and better than Diablo 3? :3
soulinether - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Yeah I’m not really sure you can get much bigger and better than Blizzard working on one of their most anticipated games of the year. In fact, the only way up I see from that is to go to Valve to work on Half-Life 3. Then again I’m not sure I’d want to work on something that will only be done when pigs fly :P
ilia - January 23, 2012
Bigger and better for his career doesn’t necessarily mean the project or company is as high profile. He could be going from senior producer to executive producer, or some other higher position for more pay someplace else.
Kunikos - January 23, 2012
maybe he’s gone to work on Torchlight 2 or Path of Exile or Grim Dawn :)
CL114C0777498D - January 23, 2012
A Blizzard game? Delayed? Surely you jest.
red grenadine - January 23, 2012
Well…there goes 2012…
id4andrei - January 23, 2012
No… this gives us 2012 back. If D3 is released, you can effectively kiss 2012 goodbye.
joel.gautraud - January 24, 2012 via mobile
i will be waiting d3 with baited breath. at this late stage in the development cycle, does it matter that a senior producer left? it should be nearly done according to all accounts, so there wouldnt be much there for him to do, am i right?
zenmaster24 - January 23, 2012
Does anyone know if it will support Mac OS X natively? don’t really want to boot into bootcamp just to play D3.
Luddy - January 24, 2012
Yeah, it will. I’ve been playing Beta on my MBA for a few months now. Blizzard is really good about releasing all of their games simultaneously for Win and OS X.
xinmpg - January 24, 2012
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