Diablo director says fans should “do what they feel is right” in light of Activision Blizzard row
Diablo II Resurrected. (Blizzard)
The director of Diablo II Resurrected has said fans should “do what they feel is right” when deciding whether to support the game.
A remaster of the original 2000 release, it’s due out on 23 September and will be the first release from Activision Blizzard following the sexual harassment lawsuit filed over the summer.
Diablo II is a Blizzard property, but this remaster has been developed by Vicarious Visions who are themselves not implicated in the lawsuit.
However, the lawsuit has forced players to question whether they want to support Activision Blizzard releases in future.
“It was definitely very troubling to hear these types of things,” Diablo II Resurrected design director Rob Gallerani told Axios, referring to allegations in the lawsuit.
“And we really wanted to support our colleagues and our co-workers.”
Gallerani explains that the allegations caused the Vicarious Visions team to self-reflect.
“We heard a lot of really positive things, but I don’t think that we ever get a pass on that,” he says. “We always need to keep asking.”
The team also took the opportunity to check the original game for any problematic content to make any necessary alterations, although Gallerani says none were found.
One change that has been made is to the design of the female Amazon warrior. Blizzard has been criticised for sexualising its female characters, although Gallerani says this change was to ensure the characters look consistently like warriors and not like they “rolled out of a nightclub”.
Changes have already been made in other Activision Blizzard games, including the name of an Overwatch character and quest names in World of Warcraft.
Diablo II Resurrected was first announced to great excitement in February 2021 but the mood around the game, and other Activision Blizzard titles, has soured following the lawsuit.
Some fans are choosing to boycott the game altogether.
https://twitter.com/JUSTINtime4aLAF/status/1439641116786270220?s=20
To whom in may concern, Diablo 2 Resurrected is coming out in 8 days.
Vote with your wallet for moral justice. Don't let this vile company get away with their shitty wrongdoings. https://t.co/i1jaUtEB66
— Xel (@ThisIsXel) September 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/amateur_aaron/status/1439714898418802689?s=20
Diablo II Resurrected will be out on 23 September across PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and Nintendo Switch.
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