One of the most shocking announcements of last night’s PS4 conference was the new partnership between Sony and Blizzard Entertainment, leading to the reveal that Diablo III would be headed to both the PS3 and PS4 sometime in the near future. Today, courtesy of Blizzard’s latest press release, we have some new details about how the port is being handled.
“The PS3™/PS4™ version of Diablo III will be based on the critically acclaimed core experience of the PC version, including all of the latest upgrades, such as the Paragon leveling system, customizable Monster Power, Brawling, and epic Legendary items. In addition, Blizzard is designing an all-new user interface, including an intuitive control scheme and a new dynamic camera perspective, that will make questing and combat in the world of Sanctuary feel like second nature on PlayStation platforms. Players will be able to battle their way through the story in single-player mode and also experience the hack-and-slash joy of destroying demons and collecting loot together with their friends via seamless four-player online and local co-op modes.”
Additionally, thanks to a post on the official DIablo III blog, we also have our first screenshots of the game running on the PS3:
Fan won’t have to wait long to get their hands on a playable demo either. The press release also mentions that “the PS3 version of Diablo III will be shown live at PAX East, taking place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from March 22–24. Attendees there will be the first in the world to pick up a controller and experience the fast-paced action and visceral gameplay of Diablo III via the new custom-designed interface.”
Looking forward to letting Diablo fans try out the console specific enhancements, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Morhaime mentioned that, “Diablo III looks and plays great on the PlayStation.” “We put a lot of care and thought into the PlayStation version to make sure it would deliver an authentic Diablo gaming experience, and we’re really pleased with the results. We can’t wait for players to try it out at PAX East.”
As far as console features, the blog post points out that, “Players will be able to wage war against the Burning Hells on their own in single-player games as well as team up and destroy countless demons with their fellow Nephalem in multiplayer games. For multiplayer, players will have the option to choose between four-player online (complete with matchmaking) and four-player local co-op modes for their couch-based warfare.”
There has yet to be any mention of the game’s real-money auction house (RMAH) and if it will be included in the port. It is, however, very likely that the PlayStation versions of the game will allow for offline single-player games.
The partnership between Sony and Blizzard is certainly a welcome change, and I’d like to see more PC-centric games try their hand at a console port now that next-gen consoles have the processing power to compete with current-day PC game rigs. Not that we need every free-to-play MMO to make their way console-side, but I’d certainly be open to putting some enhanced RTS games on the consoles. I know that RTS’s are usually terrible when ported over, due to a controller’s lack of button mapping, but with all these cross-platform and touch pad interfaces going around, not to mention voice and gesture controls, I feel that there has to be a way to make a great RTS game for consoles at this point. And who better to bring over a couple certain pseudo-popular RTS franchises than Blizzard Entertainment.
How many of you will be in attendance at PAX East next month? I’ll be there all weekend, and I definitely plan on stopping by the Blizzard booth to check out how Diablo III runs on the PS3. As a final note, here is the third and final screenshot Blizzard released of Diablo III in action on PS3:
For those who don’t know, “Diablo III continues the epic Diablo storyline, with players taking on the role of one of five heroic characters—barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, or demon hunter—and embarking on a perilous quest to save the world of Sanctuary from the corrupting forces of the Burning Hells. As players adventure through rich and varied settings, they’ll engage in pulse-pounding combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, grow in experience and ability, acquire artifacts of incredible power, and meet key characters who’ll join them in battle or aid them along the way. Diablo III was originally released for Windows® and Macintosh® PC on May 15, 2012 and within 24 hours became the fastest-selling PC game of all time. As of December 31, 2012, Diablo III had sold through more than 12 million copies worldwide.”
