You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you’re reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here
Fans may have waited over a decade for Diablo 4, but developer Blizzard was constantly working on a new version of the series before the game’s release. Revealed by games journalist Jason Schreier, the studio was working on a sci-fi version of its iconic gothic ARPG series but cancelled the spin-off.
With Vessel of Hatred on the way, adding a new endgame and runewords to the latest incarnation of the ARPG franchise, eyes are set on the future. However, there’s still some very intriguing facts to learn about the series’ troubled past.
Blizzard’s sci-fi Diablo
During a promotional podcast for his book Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, Jason Schreier revealed numerous culled projects at the company. In the latest episode of the MinnMax Podcast, host Ben Hanson listed a number of scrapped games detailed in the new book.
In the list of killed games, the new book discusses the leaked Diablo prequel for the original Game Boy and the intriguing sci-fi spin-off.
“Bloodlines, which was a space vampire game [was cancelled]; Diablo for the Game Boy,” Hanson said. “Then Blizzard North [which closed in 2005], after Diablo, was working on Star-blo, which was sci-fi Diablo. I’m assuming that’s got to be just a code name, right?” It is, but you have to admit it has a nice melody to it.”
While it never released, the scrapped sci-fi Diablo spin-off could’ve been the third incarnation of the series. Released in 2012, the third game was criticised for leaving behind the grimness of its more brutal, more gothic predecessors. However, it was still firmly in a fantasy world.
Blizzard’s bar of quality
Over the years, Blizzard has scrapped a handful of Diablo projects, including multiple versions of the fourth game. In the book, Schreier reveals more about the scrapped versions of D4, including versions more focused on co-op and a fully third-person version of the game.
Alongside these games, Blizzard also scrapped multiple Warcraft games. The studio was working on Orbits, a codename for a Warcraft-themed Pokemon Go game and Avalon, a Minecraft game designed in the WoW universe. Andromeda, a third-person Warcraft game in the vein of God of War and a Helldivers-style multiplayer game were also cancelled.
Nevertheless, with Vessel of Hatred on the way, the current version of D4 has been a massive success for Blizzard. After many years of development, the finished version has not been without issue, but it is a fantastic sequel.