After the demise of D2R Items its previous director in 2021 after various lawsuits and investigations alleging allegations of a "frat boy" work environment of Activision Blizzard, Diablo IV is set to launch in 2023 and will support cross-play and cross-progression between PC as well as consoles. Blizzard recently announced new details regarding Diablo IV's fifth and final launch class, the Necromancer.

We spoke with Diablo 4 Director Joe Shely and general manager of the Diablo franchise Rod Fergusson about the current situation of Diablo and what their goals include for Diablo 4. as well as what the game has been designed to help them achieve them.

It's an exciting moment for Diablo. We've seen the release of Immortal and recently, you've showcased a bit from Diablo 4. Rod as the overseer of the Diablo franchise, can you give us a status report on the franchise? What is the current state and where do you think it needs to be?

Rod Fergusson: I think it's never been a better time to be an Diablo player and Diablo player. We have Diablo in play, it's been in existence for ten years, but even during its most recent season, Season 26. There are over 150 million hours played.

We just crossed over 65 million players that played Diablo. This month, we saw Diablo 2: Resurrected come to life, with over five and a half million players that came back to play D2:R, a 21-year-old hardcore PC game which has been upgraded and available on cheap D2R Ladder Items consoles as well.