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Rumour: ‘Diablo 4’ in Development, Possibly Returning to ‘Diablo II’ Visual Style
Blizzard’s been taking quite a lot of heat lately after the reveal of Diablo Immortal, and the lack of a reveal for Diablo 4. Fan backlash resulted in Activision Blizzard’s stock briefly tanking, views that the game was simply a way for Blizzard to tap into the Chinese market (which has a huge mobile gaming base), and people (including Wendy’s) taking a shot at Blizzard.
But the question remains: Where’s Diablo 4?
Put your rumour hat on, because this is where things get interesting. According to a report by Kotaku (yeah, I know), Diablo 4 has had several iterations. One version of the game, codenamed “Hades”, saw the game as a hardcore dungeon crawler, but would drop the isometric perspective camera, and take on Dark Souls‘ over-the-shoulder camera. That version was started after Blizzard cancelled a second expansion for Diablo III, but was ultimately canned itself.
The second iteration, codenamed Fenris, is the one that’s currently in development. Fenris began at the same time as the Rise of the Necromancer DLC, and reportedly returns to the darker visual style of Diablo II. The challenge facing Blizzard (according to the report), however, is to balance between older fans (like myself) who grew up on D2‘s aesthetic, but also avoid alienating those who got into the franchise via Diablo III, which has a brighter, more stylized visual style.
Regardless of the degree to which all of this is true, it’s not unheard of for games like this to go through different iterations before landing on that magic version. the issues with Diablo Immortal are still justified, but until we get more info on the game (and Diablo 4), we just have to wait and see what happens.
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for his role in 1993’s Jurassic Park, has passed away this week at 78 years old. In a statement shared on Neill’s Instagram page this morning, the actor’s family said that his passing was “sudden and unexpected.”
Neill had been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2022, but stated the following year that he was in remission. The family notes that he “remained cancer free” at the time of his passing.
The family statement reads, “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.
“They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
In addition to his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park and the sequels Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World: Dominion, Sam Neill left an indelible mark on the horror genre with memorable roles in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession, The Omen: The Final Conflict, John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, and sci-fi horror favorite Event Horizon.
Sam Neill’s vast resume in film and television began in the early 1970s and also includes the films Sleeping Dogs, Enigma, The Good Wife, A Cry in the Dark, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Hostage, The Jungle Book, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, The Horse Whisperer, Bicentennial Man, Daybreakers, Escape Plan, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Sam Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
Steven Spielberg said in a statement to Variety, “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.”
Spielberg adds, “Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
Sam Neill in ‘Event Horizon’
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