Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
With all of the matters of harassment, toxicity, and the lawsuits encompassing these issues at Activision Blizzard, upcoming releases like Diablo 2: Resurrected are still going ahead. Acti-Blizz subsidiary Vicarious Visions is the chief developer on the project now, and it hasn’t had much implication in the overall conversation. However, that doesn’t mean the devs have washed their hands of the matters that are affecting the overall company. In a recent conversation, a Vicarious Visions lead told would-be buyers and players to “do what they feel is right.”
Vicarious Visions Design Director Rob Gallerani recently spoke to Axios Gaming ahead of Diablo 2: Resurrected’s impending release. Activision Blizzard has gone through a lawsuit from the state of California, an organized employee walkout, and even further allegations of union busting and employee intimidation. When pressed on the matter, Gallerani expressed solidarity with victims and affected co-workers.
“It was definitely very troubling to hear these types of things, and we really wanted to support our colleagues and our co-workers,” Gallerani said.
Vicarious Visions hasn’t been explicitly mentioned or called out in much of Activision Blizzard’s ongoing issues. However, Gallerani doesn’t believe that lets Vicarious off the hook. If anything, he suggested the severity of the allegations and their implications mean the studio has an even bigger duty than ever to be vigilant and listen to employees for any sign of trouble.
“We heard a lot of really positive things, but I don't think that we ever get a pass on that,” Gallerani continued. “We always need to keep asking… A lot of those points of view weigh very heavily on us.”
Diablo 2: Resurrected is set to launch this week on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Battle.net. As we close in on release day, stay tuned here for further details and updates on the game.