Blizzard has announced Diablo 4’s next expansion won’t arrive until 2026, marking a change in its annual plans.
The news was revealed by Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson at a DICE panel event, as attended by journalist Jason Schreier. Previously, Fergusson told Dexerto expansions would be released annually.
“In 2025, or just before Season 8, we will have a 2025 roadmap for Diablo 4,” said Fergusson at DICE (thanks IGN). “Now, our second expansion won’t be on that roadmap, because our second expansion is coming in 2026, but at least players will have the road ahead.”
Presumably that roadmap will include details on future seasons. Blizzard is releasing four each year, with the seventh – Season of Witchcraft – beginning last month.
“In his DICE Summit presentation today on building a resilient live service, Diablo GM Rod Fergusson emphasized serving the game over the plan,” a Blizzard spokesperson told Polygon following the event. “To that, we are excited to share that we are in development on our second expansion for Diablo 4, which will debut in 2026.”
Vessel of Hatred was released in October last year and, despite a rocky launch, saw a boost in Steam players for Diablo 4.
Fergusson noted in the panel event that Vessel of Hatred released later than Blizzard had intended – 18 months after the game’s release, rather than 12. This was due to resources being pulled from the expansion to react to player feedback and adjust live content, which has pushed back plans.
“A polished, bewitching upgrade that sinks its claws into you – featuring perhaps the best character class in Diablo’s history,” reads our Vessel of Hatred review.
Diablo’s original creator David Brevik was recently interviewed about current ARPGs, where he stated that when the journey to levelling up is shortened “you’ve cheapened the entire experience”.
“I just don’t find killing screen-fulls of things instantly and mowing stuff down and walking around the level and killing everything, very enticing,” he said. “I just don’t feel like that is a cool experience. I find it kind of silly.”