2022 began with a major announcement that Microsoft had purchased Activision Blizzard. While the sale has yet to fully finalize, the two companies have already begun to work closer together with Microsoft executives like Phil Spencer, commenting on future plans. In fact, just recently, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty revealed that Microsoft had no plans to take away certain games from large pre-existing platforms, perhaps hinting at franchises like Call of Duty, which enjoys huge multiplatform player bases.

While the acquisition continues to progress towards completion, the results of Microsoft's upcoming ownership are starting to be clearly seen within the industry. During the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Blizzard was featured numerous times including a new cinematic for Overwatch 2 that confirmed free to play and new characters like the Junker Queen. The highly anticipated title, Diablo 4 also got plenty of screen time during the showcase as well.

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Diablo 4 had plenty of things to announce during the Xbox and Bethesda showcase. While the announcements led off with the reveal of the fifth and final class to join the Diablo 4 roster, the announcements didn't stop there. A new developer gameplay showcase offered the latest look at Diablo 4 as well as brand-new gameplay mechanics such as a massive open world that dynamically changes based on the player's actions. For example, world events, public boss battles, and clearing out hostile areas which are then replaced by Towns or player hubs that seemingly springs up overnight.

In addition to a sprawling open world to discover and explore, the trailer also touched on the other elements including the shared world and co-op, which also features enabled cross-play for players from any platform can team up. The open world has specific zones for those who want to PvP, and for those who go on a bit of a winning streak, the game will mark them as a champion which then offer greater rewards for others to try and take them down.

For those curious about end game, the Diablo 4 trailer hints at new items and dungeons becoming available once the campaign ends. There was even a shot of a massive paragon skill tree, which promises to keep fans invested long after the story credits roll. In addition to Blizzard's promise of continued support post-launch, it also indicated new things to do each time a player logs in, perhaps taking a queue from live service titles like Destiny 2.

While dungeons were only touched on in the update trailer, Blizzard highlighted the improvements it was making to them in a recent quarterly information sneak peek. Players will discover over 150 at launch across five distinct regions of the map and each one is procedurally generated around a specific theme. One example given was a Druid Resting Site which had become overrun with demons.

Diablo 4 launches in 2023 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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