Diablo 4’s 2025 Plan Draws Backlash, Ex-Blizzard Boss Concerned

Diablo 4 just unveiled its first content roadmap this week, offering players a glimpse of what the action RPG has in store for 2025—along with hints about 2026 developments.

IGN sat down with game director Brent Gibson to break down the Diablo 4 roadmap, covering details from Expansion 2 to upcoming cross-game collaborations. However, following the roadmap's reveal, the community has voiced concerns about 2025's offerings, with many wondering if there'll be enough fresh content to maintain engagement.

"Seriously? A new Helltide color and temporary abilities?" commented Reddit user Inangelion. "How groundbreaking!"

This sentiment echoes among dedicated Diablo 4 players who expected more substantial additions to the upcoming seasonal content.

"Other ARPGs introduce meaningful seasonal updates—base-building mechanics or trade systems that reinvent class gameplay," noted feldoneq2wire. "Meanwhile Diablo 4 asks: 'Should Helltides be crimson or magenta this season?'"

"As someone who genuinely enjoys Diablo 4, this roadmap feels surprisingly light on substantive content," shared Fragrantbutte.

"The phrase 'and more' is carrying unreasonable weight here," observed artyfowl444.

The discussion grew heated enough that Diablo community manager Lyricana_Nightrayne intervened: "We kept later roadmap details flexible to accommodate ongoing development," they explained. "This isn't everything planned for 2025."

The debate stems partly from Blizzard's seasonal model. While some appreciate the fresh start each season brings, others argue it devalues deep investment—with some players threatening to skip until 2026's more meaningful updates.

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra weighed in via Twitter: "Stop rushing seasonal releases just to meet deadlines," he advised. "The current cycle—launch, fix for two months, repeat—is unsustainable.

"Focus on fixing endgame systems first. Running the same overpowered boss hundreds of times isn't engaging gameplay.

"Annual expansions would serve players better. Cut back on costly one-time story elements and prioritize replayable content: new classes, enemies, and endgame systems.

"Without addressing core issues, stacking new activities just creates wider systemic problems."

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Gameplay Screenshots

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The delayed second expansion—originally planned for 2025 but pushed to 2026—has intensified discussions about Diablo 4's live-service approach. While Vessel of Hatred launched successfully in 2024, Blizzard's promised annual expansion cadence now faces delays.

In our interview, Gibson discussed balancing free seasonal content with paid expansions: "Player expectations evolve constantly," he noted. "What satisfies them today won't necessarily work tomorrow—we need agility to adapt.

"Diablo's diverse player base—from casual to hardcore—requires targeted seasonal updates. Season 8 focuses on boss lair improvements based on feedback, while Season 9 might address nightmare dungeons.

"This phased approach lets us serve different communities before delivering universal content in expansions."

Diablo 4 Season 8 arrives late April, with Seasons 9 and 10 following in summer and late 2024 respectively.