Blizzard Studio Says Consumers Should ‘Do What They Think Is Right’ When Considering Diablo 2 Remake

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The developers behind the upcoming Diablo II remake have said consumers should “do what they think is right” when considering purchasing the game next week.

Diablo II: Resurrected, due out September 23, is Activision Blizzard’s first game since the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a complaint against Activision Blizzard in late July, accusing it of failing to address complaints from sexual harassment and discrimination.

The remake is being developed by Blizzard’s Vicarious Visions studio, a New York-based developer who was not involved in the lawsuit.

However, speaking to Axois, studio design director Rob Gallerani said the allegations had always led him to revisit his processes and ask his own employees how he could improve his work culture.

“It was really, really disturbing to hear this stuff,” he said of the misconduct allegations. “And we really wanted to support our colleagues and coworkers.

“We heard a lot of really positive things[in our internal review], but I don’t think we ever have a pass on this. We must always keep asking.

The controversy also led the developer to scan original Diablo II content for any references that could be deemed problematic, but Gallerani said the check found nothing.

In July, the World of Warcraft team began removing references to former MMO employees, after a former designer who had characters and items bearing his name was named in the sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit. .

Resurrected’s Diablo II: Gallerani told Axois that the remake’s changes include a revamp of his Amazon warrior.

He said his redesign was primarily intended to make all of the characters look more like warriors than “out of a nightclub” people.

Vicarious Visions is the studio behind Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which Activision Blizzard recently integrated into Blizzard.

Last month, Activision Blizzard confirmed the departure of three other senior Blizzard employees, including Diablo 4 game director Luis Barriga. Diablo 4 lead designer Jesse McCree and World of Warcraft lead designer Jonathan LeCraft were also fired on Wednesday.