With the third installment coming soon, it did surprise me to learn that the Diablo franchise is now 15 years old. Released at the tail end of 1996, Diablo popularized the action-RPG with its frantic mouse clicking action and the ever present loot-drop lust. Developer Blizzard has put together a nice set of retrospective materials that are sure to whet appetites for Diablo III.
There’s quite a bit of interesting history and trivia on offer here; for instance, it was a developer called Condor Games that created the basis for Diablo and worked with Blizzard on the game’s development, changing the structure from turn-based to real-time action. Condor was eventually bought and became Blizzard North.
It also surprised me that the game shipped on New Year’s Eve. Can you imagine an AAA title being launched towards the end of the holiday season now? There’s also some interesting interviews with Blizzard staff Jay Wilson and Chris Metzen to enjoy. If you’re a Diablo fan, you need to check this stuff out and hopefully the wait for the Diablo III won’t be too long.
