Diablo 3 Coming to Playstation 4 and Playstation 3

Posted 21 February 2013 by Rushster

blizzard PS4

Diablo 3 is coming to the Playstation 4 and Playstation 3. Blizzard has just announced at Playstation 4 reveal event that Diablo 3 is the franchise they have chosen to move back into the console market with. The game will be four player co-op when it is released and they stated that a demo is coming soon.

No other information has been made available at the moment but Blizzard has always maintained they were looking into bringing it to the console. Blizzard has said this is a strategic partnership with Sony so it sounds like it will be a PS4/PS3 console exclusive at this stage, although it sounds like they will not rule out other platforms.

As far as the PS3/PS4 version is concerned we do know of a few features.

  • There will be direct control with the analogue sticks (no clicking)
  • There’s an evade capability to quickly dodge out the way
  • Local offline co-op as well as online co-op where the screen will zoom out to fit all players on screen.
  • Everything to do with loot and inventory has also changed on the interface
  • There is no paperdoll, there is a full 3D character.
  • May create new cinematics to fill in console players on the franchise backstory at the start of the game.
  • Its the same game, and there will be game updates with a base release of v1.0.7.
  • It’s pretty far along in development, PS3 version is further along than the PS4
  • They are looking at how they are going to utilise the touch bar on the new PS4 controller.

During the development there were indications that the Diablo 3 team were preparing for a console release, the skill window changes were probably the most obvious at the time and we had talked about that in the news here when it happened.  The console version was hinted at as far back as 2010 and console controllers were being tested by players during the PC Beta  test to show how it could work.

Chris Metzen’s full comments for the reveal are as follows

Console game development is in our blood,we’re very passionte about it and all these years we played on the PC side of the street, We have held a deep desire to get back into the mix and to bring console players some of the home cooked imagination and adventure we love to develop

The trick was always going to be how do we do it. we spent a lot of time thinking about which of our franchises could translate to console, which of any of our game products could make the jump while still maintaining their accessiblity, ease of use and playability. We feel we know in partnership with Sony we have our game. So I’m very pleased tonight to announce the game that Blizzard entertainment will be bringing to the Playstation 4.

Diablo 3 will be available for the PS4 and PS3. Right now we have version running on the PS3, it is amazing, runs well, looks great, we have painstakingly optimised our control schemes, anywhere from the entire user interface of the inventory system to the player customisation, even direct control over your player avatar, so if some of you have played on the PC side your not mashing your mouse into your desk.

Diablo 3 has never been easier to play.One of the really fun things about this version of the game the four player co-op mode that’s full screen, you can sidestep all the split screen shenanigans, it’s a smooth eeemless play. You can play with your three best friends on a couch. One couch to rule them all.

Coming up in the coming months we will debut the game, we;ll have video and playable demos, probably at PAX East.

We’re excited about he product and our partnership with Sony and what the future has in store for us . Hopefully world domination.

There is also an ongoing thread in the forums on the topic where there has been mixed reactions.

Tagged As: , | Categories: Chris Metzen, Console, Other Events
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114 Opinions have been expressed on “Diablo 3 Coming to Playstation 4 and Playstation 3”
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  • Playstation 3 also, apparently.

    • Since they make a big deal about couch co-op, I guess they have to have offline mode? Especially on the PS3.

      • Don’t know… my feeling was they would try to incorporate everything in Bnet 2.0… kind of like how Steam got Portal 2 compatible with PSN. I think cross-play will be possible. My guess anyways :P

      • Yeah, I’m not sure if the console release will leave offline mode out of the question and then there are the auction houses. Perhaps publishers won’t let that happen? It’ll be interesting to see how Blizzard handles all of that.

      • I’m a bit interested in their solution to the three friends on the couch wanting to move their characters into different directions as they’re seemingly saying that it’s not splitscreen…

    • Actually, they were going to release it on PlayStation 2

      but then they doubled it …

  • Oh boy. If the reddit thread is of any indication, this is thing is going to give birth to Mephisto.

  • R.I.P Diablo. Everything about how D3 was designed suddenly became so clear.

    • You beat me to it!

      GG Blizzard, GG.

    • Yeah, I called this long ago. It was easily noticeable with the UI changes. And thus the “dumbing-down” of the game…er I mean “streamlining”…

    • Beat me to it. I fully suspected their decisions to be based around console catering ever since the possibility about it coming out for console was talked about originally. And people wonder why I despise when PC games end up with a console port…

    • D3 was just a test, **** you BLizzard

    • You know what, I am just gonna think the positive side about this.

      At the very least, with the imminent release of a console version, we could probably expect that they will FIX the game first before releasing it, seeing as they wouldn’t want to repeat the same mistake a year ago.

      I know it sucks but the road should only get better from now on.

  • cool, now even more people can be disappointed by it.

    • I gave you a +1 although I’m not seeing it as becoming true:

      I’ve said it more than once that D3 gives me a feeling of not beeing a western style arpg anymore, but more of an eastern style action adventure with rpg-elements. And that’s exactly what consoleplayers are used to. Western style rpgs were always a rare breed on the market of console gaming.

  • Blizzard always gets my hopes up and crushes them lol. Was hoping for something new. SHOULDA KNOWN.

    • I didn’t watched from beginning… Firstly I was thinking about EA or Activision: the guy said Blizzard, ok… giant bomb guys started to joking: (of course) SC: Ghost later BlackThorn, R’n'R Racing… Seconds before Metzen said any title I thought: “Titan, at last”, no… Metzen (not literally) said: “Screw you!… Diablo III”.

  • Just saw a post on reddit about this and honestly, I’m not surprised. The UI, 4 player multiplayer system, quest based public games, the huge skill window covering the screen, and the 4 slot skillbar all pointed towards a console experience. I had a feeling that D3 was a console game tailored for the PC but I generally kept that in the background but now it all makes much more sense.

    Can’t say I’m disappointed or anything but I will ask one question. Based on the loot drops and the general consensus that there’s too much RNG…will console players stick with this game? It’s mind numbing as it is and the possibility of finding an extremely good item is still statistically low and that begs the question whether or not console players will find some satisfaction with item drops.

    I have to ask another thing. Will Blizzard ever allow pc players to create public game rooms? Seems Blizzard needs to keep the console focus and their general resistance to changing anything for the PC isn’t helping at all.

    Anyway, what are everyone else’s thoughts?

    • To be honest, I don’t see it that way (as in, I don’t think every single decision up to this point about D3 was in light of the game coming out on console). Of course, this is just me speculating, as I can’t read into Blizzard’s mind (and frankly, no one else can either). IMO, the interface as is is still wayyyyy to un-console friendly; they’re still going to overhaul the whole UI (I’m looking at Torchlight on XBLA as an successful-ish example).

      As for the folks at reddit QQing over this announcement… why? I mean, this can just bring new blood to the community, the same community all those guys and the official forum guys are dooming in every second thread.

      But I agree with you on one thing: Loot-driven game on a console is still risky. Yes, Borderlands was a great succes… but it still was a FPS. It’ll be very interesting to see how the mainstream console players warm up to D3.

      • Yeah, I’m not outraged like everyone else is and I’d like to thank you for starting some discussion with me.

        Anyway, I’m sure that not everything was designed for a console but I’ll wager good money that the skillbar and lack of public game rooms were influenced by consoles.

        New blood to the community is great and I’m all in favor for more people getting into the Diablo games but long term longevity of a loot based arpg is certainly going to pose an issues within console gamers.

      • As much as I wouldn’t want to play Diablo 3 with a gamepad, Diablo 3s gameplay fits a console much better than any FPS
        I will seriously never understand how people can (or would want to) play a FPS with a gamepad.
        But they certainly do. In that sense D3 shouldnt be any worse off.

        • Actually, it all has to do with what console gamers are accustomed to. FPS have been on consoles since Doom on the SNES. Regardless of your personal preference, many people strictly play FPS on consoles (I’m 50-50 with FPS on consoles/PC).

          Anyways, what I’m saying is… many console gamers have played numerous console FPS (be it GoldenEye, Halo, CoD, w/e… the list is extensive), and many of then are comfortable doing so (just look at sales from the past decade). For top-down isometric Arpg, all I can think of is Diablo 1 on Ps1, Torchlight on XBLA, a few Baldur’s Gate on PS2? And these didn’t sell that great, so one could assume console gamers have a lot less exposure to these types of games.

          But the concern that Winterfield and I have with D3 on console is if standard consoles gamers will get “in” Diablo… grinding endlessly to high Paragon levels with low upgrade probability (well, that is if there’s the AH on the consoles). I’m a bi-gamer (as in I game extensively on consoles and PC, har har), but I know a lot of my friends aren’t; and I don’t see them playing the same game on their consoles for months that’s not named COD or NHL (I’m Canadian).

          • @JohnnyC

            I generally agree with you, and would like to remind us that action RPG had much success on the consoles before it lost the spotlight.

            –> IMO old top down Zelda and Seiken Densetsu (Secret of Mana) series are the ancestors of Hack & Slash.

      • “To be honest, I don’t see it that way (as in, I don’t think every single decision up to this point about D3 was in light of the game coming out on console).”

        I just want to remind you of the art discussion way before release, when the first tiers of equipment were shown. In retroperspective it seems a clear indication to me that opening the game up for console gamers was already in stock on the drawing board and just the ability to deliver in question – up to now. But as you’ve stated I could be wrong there, as there’s only the outside view open to me.

  • This is my last post. Any ounce of hope I had for this series just died – they dumbed this game down for consoles and now that it is on a console it will stay dumbed down. RIP DIABLO it started on May 15th/2012 and ended on Feb 20th/2013.

    They have the nerve to release another version of this garbage without fixing pretty much anything. What a joke. Hopefully I see some of you guys around PoE.

  • This could be positive for Diablo 3.

    It gives Blizzard a very direct financial reason for trying to improve D3.
    Now its more than brand damage-repair. They actually want to convince someone to buy D3.

    • While “financial reason” and “Blizzard” seem to be close terms these days, I wouldn’t expect this console port to be a major, high budget project for them. At least not high priority enough to suddenly start extensive patching again or even resume producing content. After all, the series, and the third installment in particular, had to so much bad press that I wouldn’t expect them to risk major investments here anymore.

      Instead, expect them to have a small team of console developers, tasked with making a port over to not too-shabby console controls and that’s it. Maybe they’ll get a few guys from the art team to come over for a couple of hours to do interface stuff where absolutely needed. The first screens of their adapted console UI at least don’t really look like a lot of effort went into them. I imagine it to be a little side project to keep their console team busy and gather experience by learning from mistakes until multi-platform work for Titan may commence.

    • But do people who play exclusively on consoles want the same things as PC gamers? I don’t mean that disrepectfully in any way, I have a console but I don’t use it much.

      What could attracting the console market encourage Blizzard to do with Diablo 3 that will benefit the game for PC users?

  • they stated that a demo is coming soon™

  • +25
    Synchrotron
    February 21, 2013 at 01:31

    Now it’s clear why the game was so dumbed down, so it can be played by console owners. D3 for PC was just a giant beta for the console version…

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