With Blizzard Entertainment, the highly-regarded PC videogame developer and subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, you can pretty much tell which of their game franchises they love most from the gap between releases of sequels or expansions. There is no doubt that “World of Warcraft” the MMO spinoff of the once-iconic RTS series “Warcraft” is their cash cow. Left in the periphery are their other titles like the sci-fi version “Starcraft” and the dungeon crawler “Diablo”. It is therefore surprising that “Diablo III”, initially released in 2012, will be brought to the forefront again with a new port; then again, that port is for the Nintendo Switch.
The Verge has it that Blizzard Entertainment is planning a Nintendo Switch version of “Diablo III”, some six years after its original release on Mac and PC back in 2012. This was originally revealed in an online post from Forbes that was later taken down, but not before it was found and saved for posterity on Reddit. Even better, this Switch port of “Diablo III” will be released as a package with the two expansions already added to the base title, to be known as the “Diablo III: Eternal Collection”, worth $59.99 in a bundle.
A Nintendo Switch “Diablo III” also comes across as a momentous occasion in that it is the first videogame published by Blizzard to appear on a Nintendo console after 15 years. The earliest word of the port came from a poste by Blizzard Entertainment on their Twitter page, depicting a case of wordplay though a video clip of a “Diablo” themed nightlight being switched off. It is somewhat understandable that Blizzard would return to the most recent version of their dungeon crawl series due to the surprising endurance of “Diablo III”, which despite needing online connection and Blizzard account to play, remained popular with players.
It being released on a Nintendo platform, it is also no surprise that the iconic gaming company will seek to include exclusive Easter egg content to the “Diablo III: Eternal Collection” bundle. In addition to the original expansion packs “Reaper of Souls” and “Rise of the Necromancer”, there will be Nintendo-branded in-game items taking cues from the host console’s memorable game titles. Examples of this new stuff include an armor set copied from “Legend of Zelda” villain Ganondorf, a Cucco option for a player pet, and an avatar portrait frame patterned after the Tri-Force relic.
According to the Forbes post, “Diablo III” will boast features such as four-man multiplayer co-op on one Switch system (which can support four players by default), and compatible support with the Switch’s own online network service. It is expected to come out later in 2018.
Image courtesy of VGR
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