Diablo 4's 2025 Roadmap Disappoints Hardcore Fans, Puzzles Former Blizzard President

This week, *Diablo 4* unveiled its first content roadmap, offering a glimpse into the future of the action role-playing game through 2025 and teasing what's in store for 2026. IGN sat down with game director Brent Gibson to dissect the roadmap, covering everything from the second expansion to potential IP collaborations. However, the community's reaction to the 2025 lineup has been mixed, with many players questioning whether the announced content is substantial enough to keep them engaged.

"Oh boy! Can't wait for new Helltide color and temporary powers," remarked redditor Inangelion sarcastically. "It's gonna be so dope!" This sentiment echoes throughout the hardcore *Diablo 4* community, who were hoping for more thrilling additions to the game.

"In other ARPGs, a new season might introduce a housing system where you can build a home base with vendors offering unique gear, or even a trading system where merchants from other lands bring materials to enhance your items in ways that change class mechanics entirely," explained feldoneq2wire. "But in *D4*, it feels like we're just getting a new color for helltides and some temporary powers and skins."

"I'm not a *Diablo 4* hater; I love the game, but there doesn't seem to be much substance here, which is a bit disappointing," added Fragrantbutte. "The 'and more' part of the roadmap feels like it's carrying a lot of weight."

The online debate became so heated that Diablo community manager Lyricana_Nightrayne felt compelled to address the concerns on the official *Diablo 4* subreddit. "We've intentionally kept the later parts of the roadmap vague to accommodate for things the team is still working on," they clarified. "Rest assured, there's more coming in 2025 than what's currently shown."

Part of the issue stems from *Diablo 4*'s seasonal content approach. While some players appreciate the reset each season brings, others feel it discourages deep engagement, arguing that if all seasonal content remained constant, the game might become overwhelming. Some have even expressed they might skip the game until 2026, hoping for more impactful updates.

Mike Ybarra, former president of Blizzard Entertainment, chimed in on the debate via a post on X/Twitter. "Don't ship to check a box," Ybarra stated. "Seasons need to break the cycle of shipping, then spending two months fixing issues, only to repeat. Pause and give the team time to address end-game issues properly. Playing for a week to then one or three shot an 'uber' boss 500 times for a unique item, then quitting until next season, is not fun.

"Expansions should come yearly. Reduce the focus on story (which costs a lot for a one-time element in an ARPG) and instead, concentrate on new classes, new mob types, and end-game activities that last more than a few days. If the cycle continues without fixing fundamental issues, *Diablo* might struggle to move forward. You can add all the end-game activities you want, but you'll be running in place with the same problems. At some point, the effort may not be worth it."

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Gameplay Screenshots

73 Images

The discussion around *Diablo 4*'s expansions also touches on the delay of the second expansion, which was originally slated for 2025 but has been pushed to 2026. Blizzard's initial plan was to release an expansion annually, but after launching *Vessel of Hatred* in 2024, the second expansion will skip 2025.

In our interview, Gibson elaborated on the challenges of maintaining *Diablo 4* as a live service game, balancing free seasonal content with major paid expansions. "Gamers are hungrier than ever," Gibson noted. "Their appetites can shift overnight, so we need to be agile and adapt. What's important this month might not be three months from now, especially with new game releases or changes in our own game. We might discover something exciting and want to incorporate it to shake things up.

"Developing in this manner involves high interaction with the community. *Diablo* has a diverse player base, from casual to hardcore, each with their own preferences. Our approach is to address the needs of different groups season by season. For instance, in Season 8, we're focusing on boss lair improvements, responding to specific player feedback. In Season 9, we might shift to enhancing nightmare dungeons, catering to another group's gameplay focus. These seasons lead up to an expansion that aims to address everyone's interests with a significant update."

*Diablo 4* Season 8 is set to launch later in April, with Season 9 expected in the summer, and Season 10 later in the year.