Diablo Creator Talks About How He Would Have Approached MMO Elements Differently

Later this week, the spotlight is on David Brevik, the genius who brought us the original Diablo and its sequel, Diablo 2. As we anticipate the full interview release, some fascinating excerpts have been shared by the Videogamer team. Brevik delivers a pointed critique on the current trend of fast-paced, instant-reward systems prevalent in ARPGs and MMOs, remarking, "you’ve cheapened the whole experience."

Another preview reveals Brevik’s early ideas for Diablo 3 during its planning phase before parting with Blizzard. Interestingly, some of these concepts resonate with features now present in Diablo 4, particularly its MMO elements. Yet, Brevik noted that his vision would’ve followed a distinct trajectory.

"It ends up being different; I would have made different decisions than they made," Brevik shared with Videogamer. "The way they tackled itemization and character progression diverged from the path I was heading towards."

He elaborated, saying he wanted a stronger focus on the social dynamics within MMOs. "Encouraging social interactions would have been a design priority," Brevik explained, emphasizing the importance of fostering community within the gameplay.

This isn’t the first time we’ve caught wind of the ambitious undertakings for Diablo 3 that didn’t quite make it to the final cut. Jason Schreier’s book, Play Nice: The Rise and Fall of Blizzard, also draws insights from Brevik. It highlights that Diablo 3 was once conceptualized as an MMORPG, drawing heavy inspiration from Ultima Online. Set to include bustling multiplayer towns, it envisioned massive player interactions in central hubs that then splintered into individual instances.

Interestingly, these original ideas echo many elements seen in Diablo 4 today. However, back then, Blizzard North faced hurdles in bringing this vision to life. Blizzard’s attention was increasingly drawn by the runaway success of World of Warcraft, leading to Diablo 3 being scaled back considerably.

"It was going to be an ARPG with the same perspective," Brevik explained, elaborating on Diablo 3’s original scope. He envisioned an MMO setup where players encountered each other across shared spaces, akin to a hybrid of World of Warcraft and Diablo elements. This approach aimed to seamlessly blend dynamic interactions with the dungeon-crawling experience. Though asked if he would pursue such a game today, he simply replied, "no."

Following his departure after Blizzard’s acquisition by Vivendi and the closure of Blizzard North, Brevik has forged his own path. He now heads Skystone Games, a company dedicated to aiding and publishing indie game developers.

You can catch more of this insightful exchange on the VideoGamer podcast, available on Spotify. Stay tuned as the episode is set to drop later this week, promising more intriguing revelations from Brevik’s storied career in game development.