Diablo 2: Resurrectedhas finally launched, and while its suffered from some expected connectivity issues, the game has otherwise been mostly well-received by fans. Many seem to be in agreement that it is a faithful recreation of the originalDiablo 2and has mostly lived up to expectations, with some of the lingering problems likely to be ironed out as part of future updates from Blizzard.
Diablo 2: Resurrected’s successful launch has fans reminiscing about theDiablogames in general, including Blizzard fan Ian Bates, aka TheRedShirtGuy on Twitter. In recognition ofDiablo 2: Resurrected’s launch, Bates has started a Twitter thread about all of theDiabloprojects that Blizzard has canceled over the years, which included some rather interesting takes on the franchise.
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From thePokemon-inspiredDiablo Jr.to theDark Souls-inspired Project Hades, here are all of theDiablogames that Blizzard has canceled.
Diablo Jr.
After the release ofDiablo 2, a small number of Blizzard employees started work on a handheldDiablospin-off game that was known asDiablo Jr.since kids were its target audience instead of adults. Inspired by thePokemonvideo games,Diablo Jr.would’ve seen multiple versions of it released, and would’ve been developed for either the original Game Boy or the Game Boy Advance. Blizzard played with making the game turn-based likePokemonas well, which would’ve been a huge difference from the otherDiablogames. Ultimately, the decision was made to cancelDiablo Jr.as it didn’t fall in line with the company’s vision for its products, and there would’ve been added manufacturing costs thanks to it being a cartridge game and not a PC release.
Diablo 2: Salvation
Blizzard registered a trademark for a project calledDiablo 2: Salvationthat never actually saw the light of day, but the general consensus seems to be that it would’ve been an expansion pack forDiablo 2. According to theDiabloWiki,Diablo 2: Salvationwould’ve had an increased focus on multiplayer, with guildhalls that players could work together to improve and upgrade.Diablo 2’s playable classeswould’ve grown with the proposed expansion as well, adding two more classes to the mix. Ultimately, the decision was made to leaveDiablo 2behind and start work onDiablo 3, though it’s unclear if those proposed ideas would’ve been part of theDiablo 2: Salvationtrademark or if that trademark was for a completely different project.
Diablo 3 (Blizzard North Version)
When one considers how successful the originalDiablo 2was, it’s somewhat surprising that it took Blizzard so long to releaseDiablo 3. However, it’s not like Blizzard wasn’t working onDiablo 3. As a matter of fact,Blizzard North was working on a version ofDiablo 3for years before that particular studio was closed down and development restarted to become theDiablo 3that actually hit store shelves.
Not much is known about the Blizzard North version ofDiablo 3in an official capacity, but rumors suggest that the game would’ve taken place primarily in Heaven. It stands to reason that some of the ideas forDiablo 3were retained for the final version of the game as parts of it do indeed to take place in Heaven.
Diablo 3: The King in the North
Diablo 3’s last major expansion wasReaper of Souls, but as it turns out, Blizzard had another possible expansion up its sleeve. There were plans to release an expansion forDiablo 3calledThe King in the North, but the idea was ultimately scrapped. Blizzard had already developed some content for the plannedKing in the Northexpansion forDiablo 3, which was then released to players as free content updates.
Similarly to howDiablo 2expansionswere apparently passed over so the developers could focus on future projects, that is also reportedly a reason forDiablo 3: The King in the North’s cancellation. Another possible reason is thatDiablo 3is not as profitable as Blizzard’s other games likeWorld of Warcraft, as it does not require a subscription fee and has no major microtransactions. According to the wiki, developers moved on to theDiablo Immortalmobile game andDiablo 4after it was decided thatThe King in the Northexpansion wasn’t going to happen.
Project Hades
Project Hades was the codename for Blizzard’s original vision forDiablo 4, which started development after plans forThe King in the Northwere scrapped. Since Project Hades was also canceled, not much has been seen or shared about it in an official capacity, but the game would’ve apparently been more similar to FromSoftware’sDark Soulsgames as opposed to a traditionalDiablotitle.Former Blizzard employee Josh Mosqueirawas taking point on Project Hades, but when he left Blizzard the project was canceled.
