An open secret after the remarkable blunder of the Microsoft Store operators.
While Diablo III was released in 2012, it's safe to say that fans of the Blizzard franchise have been waiting for a sequel for... more or less ten years? The American studio, which has a habit of dragging out its projects, took some time before confirming that a Diablo IV was indeed in the works. So the revelation took place on November 1, 2019 while BlizzCon was organized, the annual event of the company to which we also owe bestsellers like Hearthstone, Overwatch, StarCraft, Warcraft or World of Warcraft.
Since November 1, Diablo IV has been the subject of multiple announcements designed to keep the flame alive with fans, to titillate their curiosity and to stay in the spotlight. Nothing to say, the technique is tried and tested and all the more effective since Diablo IV is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated titles on PC and, to a lesser extent, on consoles. Unfortunately for Blizzard, all of this great communication mechanic was a bit too much for them because of a leak linked to the Microsoft Store.
While everything was in place for a wonderful announcement of the release date, many players noticed a Diablo IV file with a lot of information. It said that the game would be released on June 5 in three editions - standard, digital deluxe and ultimate. In addition, we learned that the game would require about 80 GB of storage space and that the release was planned for Xbox, as Microsoft Store is obliged to do. Of course, you didn't have to be a great clerk to think that this date also concerned the PC or the PlayStation.
Blizzard finally confirmed the Microsoft Store leak at the - admittedly atrocious - Game Awards 2022 ceremony. A confirmation that didn't have the same impact but that, thanks to a video that Blizzard has the secret of, still kept a unique flavor. In the end, it's not on June 5 but on June 6, 2023 that Diablo IV will come back to haunt our machines. It will be released simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
