EXCLUSIVE: Blizzard Tells IGN What's Coming to Diablo 4 in 2025 and 2026, Including New Expansion, New Ranking System And, Finally, Leaderboards

2025 is acceptable to beryllium a large twelvemonth for Diablo 4, Blizzard’s adjacent two-year-old enactment role-playing game, and that’s contempt the hold to its 2nd enlargement from this twelvemonth into 2026. It’s acceptable to motorboat Season 8 aboriginal successful April, with Season 9 presently owed retired successful the summer, and Season 10 aboriginal successful the year. Each volition amended the crippled successful cardinal ways, addressing instrumentality feedback and adding long-requested features. And then, looking into 2026, Blizzard volition motorboat Diablo 4’s 2nd expansion, pursuing connected from past year’s Vessel of Hatred, adhd a caller ranking system, and, finally, leaderboards.

Today, for the archetypal clip ever, Blizzard has published a Diablo 4 roadmap of content, providing fans with the benignant of semipermanent penetration into what to expect from the crippled they’ve ne'er had before. There are adjacent teases for upcoming IP collaborations thrown successful determination for bully measure.

So wherefore is Blizzard doing this now, and what, exactly, are the juicy details connected Diablo 4’s upcoming updates? IGN sat down with crippled manager Brent Gibson to quiz him connected each that and much successful an exclusive interrogation to coincide with the roadmap, below.

Diablo 4's 2025 roadmap touches connected 2026. Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment.

IGN: This [roadmap] is caller for Blizzard's Diablo team, right? So there's got to beryllium a crushed wherefore you're doing it present for the archetypal time. What are the factors that person gone into you making that decision?

Brent Gibson: We've ne'er truly been successful the presumption to present connected a roadmap with the crippled up until now, right? So erstwhile we released the basal game, we were getting an influx of feedback from the assemblage connected what we should beryllium going after. And truthful we were successful this precise reactionary, like, let's enactment connected apical of the large emerging issues that are coming retired with the game. And we wanted to beryllium successful a presumption by this twelvemonth to beryllium capable to beryllium much proactive and beryllium successful a spot wherever we tin foretell retired to a twelvemonth connected immoderate of our ambitions and what we privation to spell after, and beryllium capable to bash it confidently, knowing the types of things we wanted to perpetrate to.

And truthful the worth of a roadmap is america getting retired determination saying, 'hey, look, these are the things that we privation to spell after. We perceive you.' We truly privation to marque definite we're going aft the things that truly substance during the seasons, and make consistency and prime successful those releases. And truthful for the archetypal time, we're really successful a spot wherever we tin spot retired into that future.

IGN: When I deliberation of Diablo historically, it's not arsenic a unrecorded work game. It was more, you paid for the crippled and you had the expansions, and the expansions were a large deal, astir similar mini-releases. But for Diablo 4 it does consciousness different. It feels similar much of a unrecorded service. So I wonderment if that creates much of a information for a roadmap to beryllium due for Diablo 4 arsenic opposed to the erstwhile games?

Brent Gibson: It does. There's a crushed wherefore they're called roadmaps, due to the fact that it virtually is simply a roadworthy starring to what we privation to bash successful 2026 with the expansion. A batch of the strengthening of our halfway from play to play are things that we're gathering upon, to taking those bigger swings successful the enlargement itself. And truthful it's important to america that determination is that connectivity. That it is each moving retired successful bid and successful a plan. And truthful adjacent though it's not ever precise transparent astir what that program is, we're hoping that the roadmap is thing that shows players those steps that we're taking, truthful that erstwhile we get to the constituent of announcing the expansion, each those pieces travel together.

IGN: Do you consciousness similar the assemblage present erstwhile it comes to unrecorded work games is hungrier than ever for changeless contented and changeless transparency? Needing to cognize what's coming astatine immoderate fixed moment, and wanting a relentless merchandise of updates? I've been watching the Marvel Rivals squad and it's conscionable unthinkable with the gait of their updates. And they've conscionable said a caller leader each month. Is this conscionable the mode things person to beryllium present if you're operating a palmy beingness service? Is it much brutal than ever?

Brent Gibson: I decidedly consciousness similar gamers are much bare than they've ever been. And adjacent if you delivered connected their appetite today, that appetite volition displacement tomorrow. And truthful you conscionable person to beryllium successful a truly bully spot to accommodate to that situation. Because a batch of times too, what's important this period is going to beryllium wholly antithetic 3 months from now. The precedence of things tin displacement very, precise rapidly based connected different crippled merchandise oregon the authorities of your ain game. Or possibly we've discovered thing truly chill and we privation to beryllium capable to get it successful determination to alteration the formula.

And truthful it is decidedly a caller mode of developing. It is decidedly precocious enactment with the community. The absorbing happening astir Diablo is that we person a batch of antithetic assemblage types, right? We person our casual players, we person our hardcore players. They each autumn into subdivisions of types of players wrong of that. And truthful what we look to bash is play upon season, look astatine the things that are important to immoderate of those groups and spell aft them with focus.

When you instrumentality a look astatine thing similar what we're doing successful Season 8, we cognize we person a ton of brag lair feedback and truthful we're adding successful the prime of beingness improvements for those players wherever that is simply a large absorption of their gameplay type, oregon we mightiness displacement to nightmare dungeons erstwhile we're successful Season 9. And truthful it's an accidental for america to code antithetic groups astatine antithetic times, starring to an enlargement wherever we're going to beryllium addressing everybody each astatine erstwhile with thing big.

IGN: And that's a truly bully pb into my adjacent thought connected this, which is you are trying to bash it each with Diablo 4. It's not conscionable unrecorded work with seasons arsenic we're acquainted with unrecorded work games, but you're besides gathering large paid expansions connected apical of that. I tin lone ideate the challenges you indispensable look trying to bash everything with Diablo 4 to support it absorbing and everyone engaged. I cognize the archetypal program was for an enlargement each year, but that's evidently not happening. Is that 1 of the byproducts of having to bash each of this worldly each astatine the aforesaid time, and besides trying to bash an enlargement arsenic well, erstwhile astir games don't person to deliberation astir doing some of those things?

Brent Gibson: Yeah, we've learned a batch astir what it means to bash some astatine the aforesaid time. I consciousness similar we've done a bully occupation astatine trying to not beryllium beholden to the plan. And truthful if we needed the other clip for the enlargement based connected everything we learned connected Vessel of Hatred, we're taking the clip to absorption connected the enlargement successful a liable way. We don't privation to propulsion it retired 10 years. That's crazy. But the adjustments you've seen are due to the fact that of cardinal learnings and the feedback that we're seeing. And immoderate of the strategy you're seeing with what we're doing with seasons is to bring consistency and power successful 1 country truthful that we tin get a small much assertive successful different area. And truthful the roadmap is simply a truly bully illustration of that wherever you tin spot that consistency, portion besides shifting our absorption from enactment benignant to enactment benignant to refresh things for antithetic benignant of players that person feedback for the game.

IGN: So let's let's excavation into the roadmap a small bit. 'Dungeon escalation' — what are we getting there?

Brent Gibson: So you'll announcement with the roadmap arsenic we marque our mode retired further into the year, the words are fancy and they person immoderate meaning and they person intent. You could spot successful that play that the connection 'dungeon,' we're going to beryllium focusing connected dungeons here, right? You got caller nightmare dungeon activities that are successful this premix arsenic well. We cognize that nightmare dungeons, oregon dungeons successful wide is the breadstuff and food of Diablo, is playing that procedural content. And based connected a batch of feedback, assortment and situation is 1 of those things that is simply a large inquire for bringing nightmare dungeons backmost into the spotlight.

And truthful adjacent though I'm not going to stock the details that acold out, you tin spot that the tone of our intent is going to code that portion of our game. The thought determination for that play is astir situation and assortment and that's the extremity that the squad has, and they're successful improvement of that close now.

IGN: Part of the sentiment among the halfway assemblage is that Diablo 4 isn't hard enough. Is that play astir addressing immoderate of that feedback?

Brent Gibson: Yeah, and it's not exclusive to that season. We met arsenic a squad astatine the precise opening of the twelvemonth and bringing situation backmost into the spotlight is thing that we're focusing connected implicit the people of each the seasons. And however does a connection similar that use from enactment to enactment successful our game?

You're seeing with Season 8, we're bringing a batch of situation backmost into the brag lairs, and trying to marque definite that trouble is thing that we're keeping an oculus on, portion besides not losing show of accessibility. Because this is simply a crippled wherever we got a batch of radical travel successful conscionable to blast and relax. And truthful we don't privation it to beryllium an acquisition that is hard astatine the sacrifice of fun. But we cognize that areas successful our crippled that we tin tackle that successful a mode that volition beryllium bully for the casuals and large for the blasters, and we should beryllium successful a bully spot.

IGN: It indispensable beryllium a truly tricky balancing act.

Brent Gibson: Yeah. If we did that to the crippled arsenic a whole, it would not work our goal. This is 1 of the reasons wherefore our trouble strategy has specified a wide set successful it, each the mode from casual to the aboriginal signifier successful Torment. The extremity isn't to conscionable accidental we're dialing everything up. That is not the case. It is to instrumentality a look astatine the progression of a quality and look astatine those spots wherever we tin make an further spike that is appreciated by the assemblage that conscionable needs that 1 past small push, right? And truthful that's the mode that we've been looking astatine it, is much of like, however does the full curve play crossed our broader audience, and not sacrificing 1 assemblage for the other.

IGN: Console keyboard and rodent enactment besides caught my eye. How travel it took truthful long?

Brent Gibson: I can't reply connected wherefore it took this agelong from a heavy level. But it's 1 of the things that the players person been asking for rather a bit, and present that we are starting to get into the groove with the ongoing improvement of the game, we're successful a spot wherever we tin commencement addressing issues similar that and bring thing caller to the table.

My lad was ace blessed due to the fact that he's converted to a keyboard and rodent feline but helium loves his console. And so, being successful a presumption wherever we tin make much entree to each antithetic types of players is precise important to us. Accessibility is immense for us. We enactment a ton of attraction connected it. We don't privation the hardware to beryllium the barrier. So we instrumentality thing we tin to make that prime of life, and I deliberation this is going to beryllium a beauteous large 1 successful that season.

IGN: I cognize this is astir apt not thing you tin speech profoundly about, but radical get excited by caller IP collabs, and there's 2 of them successful there. People mightiness deliberation of silly stuff, commencement talking astir Microsoft stuff, Activision worldly and each sorts. Is determination thing you tin accidental astir what radical tin expect, oregon possibly however you attack them and what's close and what isn't close for Diablo 4?

Brent Gibson: When you deliberation astir Diablo, it is 1 of the acheronian phantasy IPs, right? And arsenic developers, we're besides fans of tons of different IPs that are that powerfulness phantasy of being successful that acheronian gothic universe. So you tin ideate that there's a beauteous dense power that is adjacent beyond Diablo itself successful that regard.

At the bosom of the crippled we're role-playing done those acheronian fantasies. And truthful I deliberation thing you tin expect is america reaching retired to different IPs that acceptable truly good wrong of our universe, and we tin bash immoderate truly chill cosmetic worldly and marque it truly exciting. But it's not thing that is really going to betray the brand, right? We speech a batch about, 'hey, when's the French Fries sword coming?' We are avoiding the French Fries sword astatine each costs.

And truthful we truly selected the collaborations we're looking astatine precise carefully. Even though I don't privation to exposure what we're doing coming up, it is 1 of those things wherever it's similar it, it's going to beryllium fun, it's going to beryllium ace cool, it is wholly Diablo. And truthful erstwhile it goes live, hopefully you'll log successful and cheque it out.

IGN: I play a batch of Call of Duty and COD has this happening wherever the mil-sim fans are like, 'I hatred that determination are lizards and dragons and fairies and unicorns shooting me.' In the discourse of everything that's happened with Activision Blizzard successful the past mates of years, immoderate fans are disquieted that's going to hap to Diablo. But from the sounds of things it's not going to extremity up similar that.

Brent Gibson: No. That is perfectly antagonistic to our goal. And truthful erstwhile we're looking astatine these things, we instrumentality a truly hard look astatine making definite that the things that we're bringing to the table, our fans are besides fans of. So there's ne'er a infinitesimal wherever you're like, 'wait, really? That's successful there?' And truthful we're holding the enactment connected that. I accidental holding the line, but we're each aligned connected it. There's nary question that this is the mode that we privation to attack it. And the 1 we person coming up successful Season 8 is beauteous chill and precise spot on.

IGN: Is determination thing successful September to December that players should beryllium excited for oregon should beryllium keeping an oculus retired for?

Brent Gibson: Season 10 is simply a truly bully illustration of america taking a hard look astatine not lone the activities that request to get refreshed due to the fact that their relation has possibly waned successful popularity, but besides looking astatine the things that are moving truly good and continuing to invest.

Infernal Horde is 1 of the astir fashionable activities successful the full game. People truly bask playing it. They enactment tons of hours into it. So we're going to instrumentality the accidental to besides springiness it a small spot of emotion and enactment a small much subordinate prime options retired determination for you to person successful the acquisition and positive that up.

And truthful precise akin to what we did with Helltide precise aboriginal connected wherever it's like, yea it's going well, but we're inactive gonna bash thing more. Not lone are we shoring things up, but we're gonna proceed to propulsion immoderate of our activities forward. Season upon season, I truly similar the thought of america keeping our location successful bid arsenic we're making our mode done the 2025 year.

IGN: So present the juicy stuff. Before we speech astir caller expansion, there's a caller ranking strategy and leaderboards successful 2026. Finally! I mean it's adjacent year, but inactive astatine slightest it's coming and we cognize now. What tin you archer maine astir the leaderboards and the caller ranking system?

Brent Gibson: I tin speech astir it philosophically. I retrieve having the conversation: 'we privation to beryllium capable to accidental leaderboard erstwhile we travel retired with this roadmap, adjacent if it is simply a twelvemonth out, right?' The important happening to america is that players cognize that we're listening, but we privation to marque definite that we get it right. Doing a leaderboard is really, truly challenging. When we took a archetypal stab astatine it with Gauntlet, we learned a batch of things with Gauntlet. We had a batch of caller powerfulness being injected into enlargement one, truthful that led america to instrumentality a enactment and spot wherever we're astatine with classes and bring that backmost into harmony. And present that we're here, we're like, 'OK, what's the close mode to bash this?'

So we're investing into leaderboards arsenic we determination forward. I won't precisely accidental how. That volition beryllium revealed arsenic clip passes by, but we privation to enactment with the assemblage connected getting to a spot wherever we've done it right.

Now, we besides cognize that leaderboards talk to the precise precocious echelon of our players, and truthful we privation to besides present thing that speaks to everybody. And truthful this is wherever we privation to person a strategy that besides tells you, 'hey, arsenic you're playing, arsenic you're gathering your character, however are you doing? Where bash you beryllium fertile omniscient with the remainder of the world?' And being capable to person a precise casual, affable knowing of americium I bully oregon not? Am I doing bully oregon not, right? And truthful it was important that we present some parts of that equation unneurotic truthful that determination is thing for everybody. And past there's that hard, aspirational spell get it astatine the precise extremity arsenic well. I americium ace excited astir the designs that we've been talking about, and we've been iterating connected this for rather immoderate time, and hopefully successful the adjacent aboriginal we tin speech immoderate details.

IGN: Exciting. OK, caller expansion. Is determination thing that you tin accidental astir that, for the fans?

Brent Gibson: I decidedly tin accidental that there's a batch coming successful the expansion. What we did with Vessel of Hatred was fantastic and conscionable the beginning. And arsenic we've learned from that. We consciousness similar we're adjacent much connected the wealth with what we request to bash with the 2nd expansion. We person a full squad dedicated to getting acceptable to commencement announcing worldly implicit a truly large campaign, to fto you cognize what's going successful connected this. We're paying attraction to it close now. The squad is conscionable like, that is precedence fig one. And truthful they've been putting each their bosom and vigor into making definite that it is the champion merchandise we've had.

Reflecting connected what we're talking astir before, we're taking that clip to dependable the halfway play to play truthful that this enlargement is the biggest enlargement we've delivered yet. So, feeling truly large astir it. I'm dying to speech much astir it. Can't astatine this time, but hopefully precise soon we tin revisit this chat.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].