Blizzard Says Diablo 4 Still Has 'Many Reasons to Keep Playing' Amid Expansion End and Diablo 5 Announcement for 2029

Blizzard has reaffirmed its commitment to Diablo 4, stating the game still has "bright support" even as the community reacts to the surprising news that no further expansions are planned and with Diablo 5 on the horizon.

During the BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony, Blizzard unveiled Diablo 5, set to launch in 2029. The sequel arrives six years after Diablo 4 and promises more character classes than any previous Diablo title. (For a full recap, check out everything announced at BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony.)

But what does this mean for Diablo 4? In an interview with PC Gamer, game director Brent Gibson explained that Blizzard is now focused on delivering seasons for Diablo 4 and "getting to Diablo 5."

"We feel like we told the Story of Hatred," he added. "We had a great conclusion with Lord of Hatred with what we have with Mephisto, and we are moving towards telling the Story of Terror." That refers to Diablo 5, which features Diablo himself ruling over a post-apocalyptic Sanctuary.

Some Diablo 4 players have responded with frustration, particularly over the lack of new expansions. They point out that former Diablo 4 boss Rod Fergusson mentioned "annual expansions" for the action RPG back in 2023. That hasn't materialized, with only two expansions released: Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred. Clearly, the original vision for Diablo 4 has evolved. Fergusson left Blizzard and Diablo last year to help ship the new Bioshock game at 2K Games.

"Why did they kill this game? I thought Lord of Hatred was well received?" one person asked on the Diablo 4 subreddit. "Guess those promises of supporting D4 for a long long time went out the window," another said. Some are even questioning further investment in Diablo 4, in terms of time and money.

"So why the f**k would anyone want to buy anything in D4 anymore?" another player said. "No point in buying battlepass or buying skins or collect. Unless they bring everything over to D5 like POE2, there is no point. What a disappointment."

"This f***ing blows," one fan added. "I thought the plan was yearly expansions, not just a 100 year timeskip and slap in the face."

It's worth noting that others in the Diablo community are pushing back on the backlash, arguing that Diablo 4 has provided—and continues to provide—plenty of content and that a six-year gap before a sequel is reasonable.

"I spent $100 on Diablo 4 and only got over a thousand hours of entertainment," one person joked. "Bliz bad I guess?"

"[Shrugs]," another said. "I'm not bent out of shape over the announcement, just a little surprised. As soon as you announce the next game in the series, that immediately takes the wind out of the sails of the current one. Announcing three years out, they either have a lot of faith in D4 to keep moving copies, or absolutely no faith in it."

So, what exactly does Blizzard have planned for Diablo 4 over the next three years? At BlizzCon, it announced Season of Hell's Legacy, which begins tomorrow, September 15. Guided by the soul of the beloved Deckard Cain, players will face bosses from across the Diablo franchise, including echoes of the Prime Evils. Further ahead, the Amazon class is coming to Diablo 4 in the first half of 2027. Just don't expect any new expansions.

At BlizzCon, IGN spoke with Diablo 5 game director Joe Shely, narrative director Jennifer Helper, and production director Tiffany Wat, who confirmed the sequel is already in full production, but insisted there's still life in Diablo 4.

"Diablo 4 has bright support," Shely said. "It's fully supported by the team. We were just announcing earlier today, coming to Diablo 4, the Amazon, the Season of Hell's legacy, Diablo 4 is coming to Switch 2, and there will continue to be ongoing support for Diablo 4. There's many reasons for players to keep playing. And of course, we've been in development for some time on Diablo 5. We're in full production and it's been really an exciting time for us to be able to get to share it with players."

Wat added that Blizzard has dedicated teams for each of its Diablo games, and they all collaborate on updates. "We have dedicated teams for each of those games because those games are important to us and they're really important for our community," Wat explained. "I think it really gives us a really great opportunity to be able to collaborate together, to talk with one another. Even though we might be distinct teams, we still work together quite closely because ultimately we are making games for the Diablo community. I think it's the best time to be a Diablo fan."

The question for Blizzard will be whether Diablo 4 seasons and the Amazon class are enough to keep players engaged. The sentiment online from core players is that Diablo 4 has, overnight, become less appealing. I've even seen some players question why they should bother fussing over the Geralt skin for the Barbarian class knowing Diablo 5 is coming in three years and cosmetics won't carry over.