Skip to main content

Interview - Diablo III's Jason Bender and Christian Lichtner talk Demon Hunters, PVP, Blizzard on consoles, tons more

diabloIIIlogo2

BlizzCon has come to a close. We came, we saw, we conquered.

OK, no we didn't. We actually spent the whole time playing Diablo III. But then, the game's mix of hack 'n' slash demon-dicing and subtle strategy is already - near as we can tell - polished to perfection - even though Blizzard's still keeping any sort of release schedule so tightly under wraps that we wouldn't be surprised if there were exploding collars involved. And of course, let's not forget the Demon Hunter and PVP arenas. Both made incredibly strong debuts at this year's show, putting new and disturbingly addictive twists on the classic Diablo formula.

Put simply, Blizzard's Diablo team's still got it, so we took a couple of its members hostage and demanded a pre-release copy of the gam- er, we mean, we sat down for a nice, polite chat with senior designer Jason Bender and art director Christian Lichtner, and there was no duct tape involved. Read on for their thoughts on why Diablo III still has no release date, the origins of the Demon Hunter, what it's like to balance a game where each class has 97 billion potential builds, female characters in games, why Diablo III isn't on consoles, and more.

[Interview by Nathan Grayson]

VG247: First up, the most obvious question: why’d you opt to stay mum on a release date this year?

Jason Bender: It’s just premature. We want to make sure that we announce when the game is done, you know? That’s how we do it. We want to make sure that when we’re ready to do it, we will – rather than a sort of arbitrary BlizzCon date.

Are we close-ish, maybe? Basically, at this point I’d sell my soul to the real devil so I could play a game about the fake devil.

JB: We can’t say. We can’t really illuminate that. But, as you can see, there’s a big difference between last year and this year. We’re making massive forward progress. There are runes, and we’re incredibly excited about how much progress we’ve made there. We just have a lot of work to do still.

You announced the Demon Hunter class this year, which had many Necromancer and Paladin devotees diving into their tissue boxes. So then, why her? Why did you decide to create a ranged class?

Christian Lichtne: A ranged class was a class we had planned very much from the beginning. But as we were announcing classes, we kept sort of bumping that forward, going “You know what? We're not quite ready to work on this one.” It sort of had to simmer.

There was a lot of early content we had done with it, and when we were ready to really start working on it, we had just announced the Monk class. We looked back on all the work we had done up to that point, and we sort of started pushing in a slightly different direction. Sort of a woodland ranger vibe early on. We really went with the Demon Hunter because it gave you enough contrast against the Monk, for example. We also wanted to start pushing a more medieval gothic vibe because we're big fans of Diablo II obviously and we really want to pay tribute to that.

You also trotted out PVP arenas this year, which rock, by the way. What kinds of gametypes can we expect to hack 'n' slash tiny people to tinier pieces in?

JB: We're doing a sort of best-of-series team deathmatch type. It's team-based. Teams are gonna be three or four; we're not sure. We haven't settled on it yet. And then you do a best-of-series so we can focus on just keeping the action going. We found that our gametypes work well when it goes fast. When it goes quickly, we don't want to have the matches go to long because we don't want anyone sitting on the sidelines while they're waiting for the match to finish. That can lead to people punching out and trying to match for a new game on Battle.net, among other things.

That's what we're sticking with for now. We've been testing it a lot. We're really liking it. That's not to say we might not come up with something else in the future, though.

On that note, do you plan to continue tweaking and adding to the multiplayer component after launch?

JB: Yeah, it's an evolutionary process. I mean, right now, we like what we have so far, and it's constantly evolving. And we'll have to see what we do post-launch. You know, the options are unlimited. We just need to make sure that we're focused on the right thing. If we go too broad with too many gametypes, it just dilutes the essence of the game.

In a panel, some of your fellow Diablo III devs were discussing the fact that the game's PVP reward system isn't based on loot or gold or other traditional Diablo standbys. Instead, it's all about earning titles, achievements, and the like. Why'd you decide to go that route instead of giving players new toys for all their hard work?

JB: It's definitely more of a Call of Duty-style progression speaking very generally. Part of the reason is that we want to make sure you're playing PVP for the right reasons. We want PVP to be inherently fun. And Diablo is primarily a PVE game – cooperative with lots of loot, right? We don't think the best way to get loot should be to grind in PVP and be like “Well, I don't really like PVP, but it's where I get the best loot.” We really want to make sure you're playing PVP just because it's fun and for bragging rights. We intend to support it, but really, PVE and cooperative is where the loot's at.

You've claimed that each Diablo III class has roughly 97 billion potential builds, which would basically be a balancing nightmare from which you'd never awaken. So instead, you've decided to take the focus off relentless tweaking altogether. What about the fans who want an E-Sport, though? What about the Internet rabble-rousers who know Blizzard as the company that constantly obsesses over near-perfect balance? What do you say to them?

CL: I think our focus is very much on the PVE experience. The point of PVP is more for players to really beat the crap out of each other. It's fun! And like we said before, you can't feasibly balance 97 billion builds. But that doesn't mean there isn't gonna be some of that happening. I just think it's being realistic. It's not even the point of the whole PVP experience.

JB: So we do balance it. The numbers are different from PVE. We've been balancing it for a while, and crowd control stuff tends to be reduced. Counters are emphasized. But we don't want to sacrifice PVE balance under any circumstances for the PVP game. Diablo is about running through the world, beating stuff up with your friends cooperatively, getting the next best sword – you know, what have you. That's our primary mission. And it just happens that all these game mechanics are fun to play in a team-based environment. It's a little more freeform PVP experience.

There will be balance. But we're really not worried about trying to get the optimal build for each class figured out before the day-one launch, because it's a different beast. StarCraft is about that: really tightly balanced beautiful strategy, so they emphasize that. We prioritize an experience that's easy to get into, and you just can't help but have fun.

Has Arena PVP always been a priority for you? When did you decide to implement it?

JB: I can say that we tried a few different things. The sky's the limit when you first start out. And we zeroed in on [arenas} iteratively. You know, of all the things we tried, it just tends to come back to that being the most solid, the most fun, and the easiest to jump into. Having tried a whole bunch of different stuff, that's the one that just popped up as being the best on its own. That's what the feedback was. That's not to say we didn't learn a lot about other possibilities. That's the one that just really nailed it.

How open is Arena PVP going to be as a platform? Where does it fall in the great Blizzard divide? Is it like StarCraft II: potentially able to house everything from puzzle games to Left 4 Dead rip-offs? Or is it like WoW, which is pretty much locked up tight aside from the occasional UI mod that skitters through?

JB: We're not going to be very mod-heavy like StarCraft. We're not supporting them the same way. So Diablo, for example, is really about us providing [the content]. That's why it has randomization. The way you find the loot and all that stuff is really fair. Obviously, it's not an MMO, so the problems are a bit different. But we really do want you to jump in with your buddies and slay the monsters and get the cool stuff.

That extends to PVP. So currently, we're not gonna ship an editor that you can make your own maps in or anything. That's not planned. But I can say that we've learned so much from Battle.net and StarCraft that there are a lot of other ways we think we can make the experience much richer. I think StarCraft has taught us so much; things like achievements and titles and things of that nature, how people connect, how we match people up – ladders and such. We have a lot of work we can do there to really make the experience awesome in a whole bunch of other ways.

There’s been a fair deal of backstory to each character class. The Demon Hunter, especially, seemed like she had bit more depth to her than a pinky toe-shallow Badass Chick. How much will that matter within the game, though? Are these fairly fleshed out characters, or are they gothic Gordon Freemans for players to impose their own personalities onto?

CL: I think by definition classes are somewhat blank slate. We really want the player to invest heavily in each class.

That said, each class has a backstory to some degree that you're playing through. But you're actually playing the same experience – just from sort of different angles. In that regard again, the Demon Hunter was a class we created where we felt like we wanted her to be a little bit more mysterious – a little on the darker side. Maybe not all the questions were answered. You know, you weren't quite sure exactly what her deal was. I think it's a nice class to really contrast with all the other classes. So for everyone who wants to play Diablo III, they'll have good choices to choose from.

JB: Yeah, you're not playing, like, Bob the Barbarian or any particular guy. You're playing your character. But we did want to bring out the history. The barbarians, for example, have a really rich history. All the characters have a backstory. The backstory does factor into the game, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's a giant throughline through the story that's entirely different depending on which class you choose. The metastory is about the burning hells invading sanctuary and heroes stepping up to defeat this invasion because they're the only ones who can.

Diablo’s actually defaulted some main characters – like the Demon Hunter and the Wizard -- as female, which is great. Much of the time, when games do this, the result is either patronizing or offensively misogynistic. Why do you think that is, and what kind of considerations does Blizzard make in order to avoid that?

CL: I think we've been very even-keel with this. You know, we announced the Monk and he was male. We announced the male witchdoctor and the female wizard. So we've sort of got a nice selection. I think we try to appeal to both genders equally. We don't have a preference.

I do know that for a ranged class – the female version, anyway -- one of our goals is that we also wanted to make her a little on the sexier side, a little on the mysterious side. We had the witchdoctor and she was very scary; she had that sort of voodoo tribal feel. We really wanted to find something that was offsetting against that. Also, she looks a little more agile and swift – a little bit more of a feel for a ranged character class.

I sat in on a recent press conference where Jay Wilson and J Allen Brack were asked why Blizzard games aren't on consoles. The gist of their argument? If Blizzard created a game that was a good fit for consoles, it'd be there in a heartbeat. Obviously, many gamers have responded to this with vehement cries of “Diablo!” Are they right? Or are Diablo's demons invulnerable to all but the mighty mouse and keyboard?

JB: I think it is suited to consoles. We're definitely working, obviously, on the PC version. This is something that's been brought up a lot about Diablo. It's sort of an ongoing question. And I'm sure we would all love to play it on console, but right now, we're just focused on what we've got in front of us. Who knows what the future holds? It's hard to say.

CL: We have said in the past that Diablo's one of the games that really would translate [to consoles] well.

Are there any plans for a pre-release demo or something of the like for Diablo III?

CL: There will be a closed beta. I can say that. We definitely will have that. It's incredibly important for us to get feedback from people. You know, we only want to put a game out there when it's done. For example, when World of Warcraft had its really long beta, everyone thought it was madness. It was like “Who's gonna buy this game? People have been playing it for free for months!” And all it did was make the game better. We need it. We need people playing the game and giving feedback, so we can make the game better.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com