It’s BlizzCon time, and Blizzard has used their annual convention to announce a rather unexpected new entry in the Diablo franchise. We all know that Diablo IV is in the works (the developer more or less confirmed the existence of a new numbered sequel back in August), but Blizzard threw us a curveball today with the announcement of Diablo Immortal for mobile devices.
In development at NetEase, Diablo Immortal is described as a “Mobile Massively Multiplayer Online Action Role-Playing Game” (or MMMOARPG for short), and players will be able to join the fight against evil as a Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, or Wizard. Don’t worry if your favorite isn’t listed, more playable classes will be added to the game in a future update.
Diablo Immortal takes place between the events of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and Diablo III. The “Herald of Terror,” Skarn, is massing an army to resurrect Diablo, and players must band together to stop him. To do this, they’ll need to master the game’s new touchscreen controls:
The transition from mouse-and-keyboard or controller to mobile touchscreen device was designed to feel completely natural, intuitive, and fun in Diablo Immortal. Directional controls make it easy to move heroes around the world, and activating a skill is as easy as holding a thumb down on a skill to aim, then releasing it to unleash hell on your foes. And reinforcements are always only a tap away thanks to the native Blizzard Battle.net UI designed specifically for Diablo Immortal, which allows you to chat and form groups with ease in the middle of the most frantic battle.
Diablo Immortal is currently in development for iOS and Android devices, and prospective players can sign up for updates about special rewards and a Beta Test for the game at DiabloImmortal.com. After its release, Blizzard and NetEase plan to support the game with “new storylines, new playable character classes, new loot, and all-new challenges” on a regular basis.
Finally, you can sneak a peek at a Cinematic Trailer and a Gameplay Trailer for Diablo Immortal, both of which are available after the break.
