This year’s Blizzcon saw the much anticipated announcement of Diablo 4. After last year’s Diablo Immortal reveal, which was somewhat of a dud for a variety of reasons, it made fans hungry when the proper sequel was revealed and looked to be harkening back to the series grim and gothic roots. It wasn’t always like this, however, as early on in the game’s development it looked quite different. Specifically, where the camera looked was different.
In speaking with VG24/7, Lead Artist Matt McDaid said that during pre-production the team experimented with a full, panning third person camera, something similar to Dark Souls or God of War. In the end, they settled on the classic top down, isometric view, because it just felt right for the series.
“We considered different options in the pre-production stages and we didn’t rule anything out,” Matt McDaid said. “We tried various options with the camera, but when we got to the isometric view it felt Diablo through and through.”
There has been several rumors from last year that the fourth Diablo had gone through some troubled development and had been rebooted several times. Whether McDaid is referencing this reported troubled time isn’t clear, but either way, fans should be happy with the direction they settled on. Diablo 4 is announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, but don’t expect it to be coming out anytime soon.