“I’m not sure where Diablo is going”: Former Blizzard boss says Diablo 4 seasons “need to get off the cycle of shipping, spending 2 months to fix issues, then repeating”

Diablo 4 may likely appear somewhat different if Mike Ybarra were still the president of Blizzard, as he recently expressed sharp criticisms of the ARPG following the unveiling of its latest roadmap.

Ybarra has been candid when discussing the gaming sector often, but he typically refrains from sharing his opinions on Blizzard titles directly. However, after the announcement of Diablo 4’s roadmap this past week, he provided a thorough analysis on Twitter outlining what he perceives as the three key elements of the game.

Firstly, he reiterated a widely shared concern among players regarding Diablo 4 seasons that often introduce numerous balance changes and bug fixes which can take months to resolve. “Don’t ship to check a box,” he stated. “Seasons need to break the cycle of shipping, taking 2 months to fix issues, and then repeating.”

He also indicated that Blizzard should “pause and give the team time to effectively tackle the end-game challenges,” referring to a common grievance among Diablo 4 players that there simply isn’t much to do after reaching level 100.

“Playing for a week only to 1 or 3 shot an ‘uber’ boss 500 times for a new item, then quitting until the next season isn’t really fun,” he remarked.

His third critique highlighted that it takes “too long” for major expansions like Vessel of Hatred to launch. The current roadmap has reiterated that the game’s second expansion since launch may not arrive until 2026, which was certainly not well-received by the community. Nevertheless, his suggestion for addressing this issue is rather unconventional.

“Reduce ‘story’ investment (it’s costly for one-time elements in an ARPG) and concentrate on introducing new classes, new enemy types, and new end-game activities that last more than just a few days.”

As a fan who admires Diablo 4’s universe and narrative, I have to agree with Ybarra’s statement that I really can’t get behind. I appreciate the idea of annual expansions, but not at the expense of the storyline.

Ultimately, Ybarra wrapped up his points by saying, “If the cycle continues to simply launch without addressing the fundamental issues, then I’m uncertain where Diablo is headed. You can add all the end-game activities you desire, but you’ll just be going in circles with the same problems. At some point, there’s just too much randomness, and it’s not worth the effort.”

In response to a fan who wondered if Blizzard might simply cut its losses and proceed with a sequel to Diablo 4, Ybarra remarked: “If they cease to understand the situation and issues – and they do not resolve it, they’ll repeat it in D5.”

In another reply to a commenter, he humorously claimed it was his responsibility “to be Captain Obvious” during his time at Blizzard.

While Diablo 4 remains quite popular, it is now facing strong competition from Path of Exile 2, which has garnered praise since its release in December, though it has since experienced a downturn following its Dawn of the Hunt update. Since that update was launched last week, Steam reviews have shifted from “Mostly Positive” to “Mostly Negative,” with many reviews highlighting issues with Dawn of the Hunt.

It’s not always easy being games like Diablo.

After earning a degree in English from ASU, I worked as an editor while freelancing for outlets such as SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I am responsible for overseeing the site’s western regional office, AKA my home, and writing about whatever horror game I am too scared to play.