Back during Covid I remember queuing up in front of a grocer as government regulations meant that only a few people can be inside the store at the same time. Since there was social distancing rules in place, one of the things that kept me company in line was my Nintendo Switch and Diablo III: Eternal Collection. You see, Blizzard did something interesting with its inaugural Switch title, it took a game, which had an always-on Internet requirement on the PC, and gave it an offline mode. Cue pandemonium as the game was glorious, even more so when untethered to the Internet, offering up demon-slaying on the go.

Hence I can understand why some Nintendo Switch 2 owners are disappointed with the release of the Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection for the hybrid console. Unlike its predecessor, Diablo IV is essentially a live-service game, and the Switch 2 version is no different, requiring a persistent Internet connection. This puts a damper to anyone who wants to take Blizzard’s latest and greatest out in the field for some hack-and-slash fun, you’ll need decent Wi-Fi or a good 5G connection. I guess I’ll save myself USD 70 since I’ve already got the game running on my Steam Deck.

Other Blizzcon announcements didn’t disappoint though. First up there’s Diablo V and guess what, Blizzard looks to be committing to a hard delivery timeframe of Spring 2029. Anyone who has read books such as David Kushner’s Masters of Doom and Jason Schreier’s excellent Play Nice, would know that game developers are notorious for not maintaining timelines, and preferring to ship only “when it’s done“.

In Diablo V, Sanctuary has fallen. I’m excited to see what has happened to that place as you can expect a 100-year time jump over the events in Diablo IV.

Another game that caught my eye would be one simply titled STARCRAFT. An story-driven , open-world shooter led by Dan Hay who has worked on Farcry 3-6, the game will bring players back to the Koprulu Sector, 70 years after StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. The new cinematic trailer has a Starship Troopers kind of feel to it with a “more meat for the meat grinder” vibe. Poor Holt.

So here’s to the next few years. Personally I wouldn’t mind Microsoft give Bethesda a push as well on the status of Fallout 5, given how Blizzard came out with guns blazing for this year’s BlizzCon.