Diablo 5 Timing: Blizzard's Rod Fergusson on Diablo 4's Longevity

In a candid session at the DICE Summit 2025, Diablo series general manager Rod Fergusson chose not to focus on the franchise’s triumphs, but instead on one of its most infamous missteps—Error 37. This infamous error plagued players during the launch of *Diablo 3*, locking them out of the game due to overwhelming server congestion. The incident drew heavy criticism and even became an internet meme, leaving a lasting impression on Blizzard’s development philosophy.

Blizzard eventually resolved the issue, and *Diablo 3* went on to become a long-term success after years of continuous updates and expansions. However, for Fergusson and the team behind *Diablo 4*, the memory of Error 37 serves as a cautionary tale—one they’re determined not to repeat. As *Diablo* transitions into a more intricate live service model, with regular seasons, ongoing content updates, and major expansions, maintaining stability and player trust is now more critical than ever.

A Live Service Future

In his talk titled “Evolving Sanctuary: Building a Resilient Live-Service Game in Diablo IV,” Fergusson outlined four core pillars guiding the team’s strategy: ensuring scalable infrastructure, consistent content delivery, flexibility in design philosophy, and transparent communication with players. These principles are designed to foster long-term engagement, encouraging players to return regularly and stay invested over time.

This marks a significant shift from the traditional lifecycle of past *Diablo* titles. While previous entries in the series saw periodic expansions, *Diablo 4* embraces a rapid, iterative update schedule akin to modern live service giants like *World of Warcraft* or *Destiny 2*. Fergusson envisions *Diablo 4* not as a finite experience leading to a sequel, but rather as a persistent, evolving world that could remain relevant for many years—if not indefinitely.

Is Diablo 4 Immortal?

When asked whether *Diablo 4* will serve as the definitive entry in the series for the foreseeable future or if there’s a defined endpoint before moving on to *Diablo 5*, Fergusson was clear: he hopes it lasts a very long time, though perhaps not eternally.

“We want it to be around for years,” he explained. “I don’t know if it’s eternal. I think Destiny tried and did that like, ‘This is a ten-year game,’ and then they quickly were not. We want people to see the road ahead because we know that, to play a Diablo game, you're probably putting hundreds of hours in. We want people to know that we're respecting their time and that we're not just here and gone.”

Fergusson acknowledged the decade-long gaps between previous *Diablo* releases—12 years between *Diablo 2* and *3*, and another decade before *Diablo 4*. But under his leadership, which began in 2020 after a successful tenure at Gears of War, the approach has shifted toward a more sustainable, continuous development cycle.

Learning From Mistakes

Despite initial plans for annual expansions, the release of *Diablo 4*’s first expansion, *Vessel of Hatred*, was delayed to 2026. Originally slated for a 12-month window post-launch, the timeline stretched to 18 months as the team redirected resources to address urgent issues during the game’s early life and first season. Fergusson admitted this delay was a learning moment.

“I learned my lesson about calling the shot too early,” he said. “So I think giving, ‘Hey, you can relax for the next 11 months,’ is about as far as I want to go in this right now… Our process is generally that we get internally to a place where we have the certainty to make a call, and then you get to a place where you publicly want to make that call. We're not at the public part yet.”

Transparency Over Surprise

A key component of Fergusson’s strategy is transparency. Unlike earlier eras of game development where surprise was seen as a virtue, *Diablo 4* now emphasizes openness through content roadmaps, Public Test Realms (PTRs), and early player feedback loops—even if it means spoiling some surprises along the way.

“You just realize that it's better to ruin the surprise for 10,000 people so that millions of people have a great season,” Fergusson stated. “And even if you mess up PTR, even if whatever you're offering to them in the mechanics is bad, I would much rather have a bad week of a PTR than a bad three months trying to recover from putting in something that we were surprising players with and it turned out to be wrong.”

He added that while data mining or early leaks can feel disruptive, the impact is limited. “We’ve had it in the early days. We're like, ‘Oh, this got data mined, people know this.’ Okay, how many people saw it? It’s on this Reddit thread, and there’s probably 8,000 people there. But we are going to have millions of people. So at the end of the day, it’s okay. We haven’t ruined the surprise for everybody.”

Expanding the PTR Experience

One challenge currently being addressed is expanding access to the PTR beyond PC players. At present, only those playing via Battle.net can participate, due to technical limitations on console platforms. However, Fergusson noted that with Microsoft’s backing, Blizzard is investing in solutions to bring the PTR to consoles—a move that aligns with the broader push to grow the player base.

That growth is also supported by *Diablo 4*’s inclusion on Xbox Game Pass. According to Fergusson, removing financial barriers helps attract new players consistently. He compared this to the decision to release *Diablo 4* on Steam in addition to Battle.net, both moves aimed at increasing accessibility and player retention.

All Hours Diablo

In closing, when asked what he’s currently playing, Fergusson shared that while he enjoys games like *NHL 24* and *Destiny 2*, nothing beats *Diablo 4*—which he’s logged over 650 hours in outside of work. Currently playing a Companion Druid and experimenting with a Dance of Knives Rogue build, Fergusson remains deeply connected to the game both professionally and personally.

He described the unique habit-forming nature of live service games, contrasting them with single-player experiences he often leaves unfinished. “I get interrupted from Cyberpunk, I'm halfway through Witcher 3, I'm halfway through Space Marines 2000. I get to these points where I am into a non-service game, then I get distracted by something shiny. But I have this habit of, I got to go do my daily in NHL to go open my free pack of cards, and I have to go play with my brother in Destiny 2 because this is what the game we play together on. And then I just...The reason I came to Diablo five years ago was because it was my favorite game to play. So just because I work and I work doesn't stop me from going home and playing it for hours and hours too.”