Diablo 3 'lead console designer' still won't announce console port

Blizzard's "lead console designer" still won't confirm a console version of Diablo 3 is on the way, but it seems that the developer is beginning to build a team focused on other platforms.

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Blizzard may have a position on the Diablo III team dubbed "Lead Console Designer," but that doesn't mean the company is officially announcing the upcoming title is coming to any platforms other than PC and Mac.

"There's three of us on the team right now," Blizzard's Josh Mosquiera told Destructoid in an interview during BlizzCon 2011, noting that the team is "trying" to build "the best console team at Blizzard."

"Blizzard is really serious about going back to the console," Mosquiera said, without delving into specifics regarding timeline for the move.

In a separate interview, Blizzard's Kevin Martens confirmed that Blizzard was not planning a public beta for Diablo 3 prior to its PC/Mac launch. "We're doing it in waves, so we'll keep adding people," he said, clarifying that the current beta will "be going for some time."

Diablo 3 is currently slated to launch in early 2012.

Xav de Matos was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 24, 2011 2:45 PM

    Xav de Matos posted a new article, Diablo 3 'lead console designer' still won't announce console port.

    Blizzard's "lead console designer" still won't confirm a console version of Diablo 3 is on the way, but it seems that the developer is beginning to build a team focused on other platforms.

    • reply
      October 24, 2011 4:03 PM

      [deleted]

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        October 24, 2011 4:18 PM

        Right, meaning 4 years after the PC release. Or be hardcore, like CD Projekt and never release one at all, after promising that you would. Right synapse?

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      October 24, 2011 4:32 PM

      They're going to make sure their next MMO is ready for a console and PC simultaneous release

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        October 24, 2011 6:39 PM

        Does the xbox have any MMOs? I dont think so... There must be a technical reason.

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        October 25, 2011 5:00 AM

        I wonder if that's even possible? I kind of think this gens consoles don't have the balls to pull it off to be honest. I think next gen might be fully WoW capable though.

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          October 25, 2011 5:07 AM

          [deleted]

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            October 25, 2011 5:56 AM

            Yeah but we're talking consoles with 512mb of ram total, including textures. I dunno, I can't see it working that well :/

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      October 24, 2011 4:32 PM

      A company like Blizzard can afford to have a team of 10 people working on trying to figure out how their games *could* work on consoles without ever commiting to making one. Since the market is huge they obviously want to explore it, but that doesn't mean it will actually happen.

      I would bet that most developers who don't release their games on all platforms put one or a few people on trying to figure out if it would work on the others (be it console, PC or handheld), but they probably cannot afford (or have the need) a small team doing this full time.

      I'd say it's likely we'll see Diablo in some form on consoles eventually, but just the hiring of one or a few guys doesn't confirm that really.

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      October 24, 2011 4:33 PM

      I hope so, Torchlight was great on console and with simplification that Diablo 3 has seen over Diablo 2 it seems like a great fit for console.

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        October 24, 2011 6:28 PM

        Did Torchlight eventually make it to xbox? I didn't follow too closely

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      October 24, 2011 6:13 PM

      i think they have every intention of releasing it to consoles. they are just waiting so the pc version will gets its numbers.

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        October 24, 2011 7:22 PM

        Or they're trying to make it not suck before they commit.

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      October 25, 2011 2:11 AM

      I'm pretty sure it is sacrelige around here, but a console version of D3 is the only way I'll ever play the game. I hated the first two Diablo games simply because I never got into the click-frenzy RPG games, so hopefully moving to a console makes them a bit more fast-paced and user-friendly.

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        October 25, 2011 2:25 AM

        [deleted]

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          October 25, 2011 2:46 AM

          Basically, the entire genre of "click as fast as possible" games never appealed to me. It's the reason I didn't get into Diablo, Dungeon Siege, etc. Not that they're not good games, the sales figures surely argue otherwise, but they never did anything for me. Diablo 3 is the first game in the genre that I've actually had even a remote interest in.

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            October 25, 2011 3:17 AM

            protip you can hold down attack to attack as fast as possible

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            October 25, 2011 3:18 AM

            It's really not a "fast as possible" type game.

            But Dota-style games would be your nightmare.

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        October 25, 2011 2:25 AM

        Haha, are you serious? Moving a hack-n-slash from PC to Console would make it more fast-paced when usually it is the opposite? Yeah... sure.

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        October 25, 2011 3:02 AM

        [deleted]

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        October 25, 2011 4:59 AM

        I do think a controller would be a much better way to experience the game than a mouse.

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          October 25, 2011 6:39 AM

          You obviously never played a sorc.

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      October 25, 2011 6:41 AM

      [deleted]

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