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I'll preface this by stating quite confidently that Blizzard is working on another Diablo game, one that they began basically from scratch after throwing out almost everything the Diablo II team had been working on up until mid-2003, when all the company founders and most of the other designers of D2 quit. They've been hiring people regularly since 2004, usually with Blizzard Jobs page listings that say things like this:
Lead 3D Level Designer
The team behind Diablo I and II is looking for a skilled lead 3D level designer with experience building levels using Maya or other similar 3D level building tools. The ideal candidate has experience creating levels in a senior or lead role on a shipped game. etc...
Seems like a pretty good indication (though not proof) that the job has something to do with a Diablo sequel. None of the jobs listed for WoW or SC2 or other openings have any mention of Diablo in the description, other than in a very general "knowledge of our game worlds" way.
Furthermore, if you click on the various jobs with the Top Secret icon, about half of them start off like the one I quoted above, with a mention of "the team that created Diablo I and II." The other Top Secret job ops do not say anything about Diablo, but most of them mention a "Next Gen MMO."
In no instances (that I noticed) did the same job op say MMO and Diablo. Since there are maybe 25 such top secret jobs, and about 10 mention MMO and 10 mention Diablo, but none mention both, this seems like an amazing coincidence.
Possible conclusions:
The Diablo game they're working on is not an MMO.
They're also working on an unannounced MMO that is not set in the Diablo world.
This is clever subterfuge to throw the curious off the scent of Diablo Online.
There's too much to speculate about. I'll just wait until something drops in my lap. Either a nice Beta of anything or the next Diablo. Either way, there won't be any solid proof in the near future I think.
Interesting points. I'm inclined to believe it could be a Diablo MMO. After all, this is a company I would rank as average to high secretive. They don't intentionally give stuff away very easily unless they actually want to at the time, but at the same time enjoy playing games with the audiences who play their games (particularly around april fools - hell cows and pandaren come to mind).
The problem here is WoW. It's not what I'd consider nearing the end of it's life span, though it has been out for four years now. With the expansion pack out last year, and the second out this year, I'd expect them to pursue that as an 'active' product for a few more years now.
On the other hand, the phrasing I noticed was that of Blizzard hiring people for a "next gen" MMO. Diablo 2 was in many ways the precursor for WoW, using the knowledge they gained from that Blizzard could better produce a full-fledged MMORPG. Could it be that whatever they have in mind for Diablo III is designed as an attempt to extend the MMORPG genre even further?
Perhaps more telling: note that all 5 of the "top secret' design jobs are diablo-connected. Only a few of the art jobs are diablo-mentioning, and most of the rest clearly state they are for a next gen MMO.
The obvious conclusion is that the next gen MMO is in the very early stages, since they're only hiring artists and not level designers. In comparison, the diablo game is much further along and is into heavy content creation. However, these are the 5 top secret designer positions, all of which mention diablo team in the description:
Lead 3D Level Designer
Senior 3D Level Designer
Senior Game Designer
3D Level Designer
Associate 3D Level Designer
I can't see how this many high level job openings bodes well for a project we all hope is nearing completion.
I can't see how this many high level job openings bodes well for a project we all hope is nearing completion.
Good point. It makes me think that the next Diablo game is a couple of years away. Maybe a little less, but I doubt it. But that's OK. IF they announce it this summer it will be a 2 year waiting period and lots to speculate and chat about during that time.
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I remember when Blizzard first mentioned they had a "next-gen MMO" in the works. This was pretty much right after they merged with Activision to form Activision Blizzard. Reading through the WoW forums, everyone was going on and on about scmmo, diablommo, etc. It surprises me that no one even considered that this MMO might be something new through Activision. One of the main reasons for Activision to want to merge with Blizzard was because Blizzard had way more experience with online gaming.
So I don't think the next-gen MMO will be something from Blizzards original franchises. Makes no sence to make a Diablo MMO, when they allready have WoW, which basicly has the same theme as Diablo. Allthough Diablo would be alot better than WoW
I remember when Blizzard first mentioned they had a "next-gen MMO" in the works. This was pretty much right after they merged with Activision to form Activision Blizzard. Reading through the WoW forums, everyone was going on and on about scmmo, diablommo, etc. It surprises me that no one even considered that this MMO might be something new through Activision. One of the main reasons for Activision to want to merge with Blizzard was because Blizzard had way more experience with online gaming.
Blizzard has said they've got a new project underway, in a new game world. I don't know if it's the MMO, but we know SC2 and maybe ghost are in that world, and they've said they're not doing a wow sequel yet, and for WoW-competing reasons such as those mentioned in this thread, it's unlikely they're doing a diablo online. which seems to leave another, unknown world setting for their other mmo.
given the massive cash cow that is wow, it seems likely they're working on another mmo, but it doesn't seem real sensible for them to put out another mmo in a similar genre to compete with themselves. so some entirely new IP, something not diablo/warcraft styled, seems the most logical option. Not that logic necessarily carries the day.
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