A Blizzard video showcasing Diablo 4 gameplay and a discussion with two of the game’s development team has blown up online as the community couldn’t see past the fact that the devs were struggling to complete a dungeon they had a hand in designing.
Blizzard released an “Adventure with a Dev” video about the Belfry Zakara dungeon on Aug. 12. Uploaded to the official Diablo channel, the video hosts include senior dungeon designer Dini McMurry and associate designer Josey Meyer, who played through the zone while discussing their work on the title and the importance of dungeon design—from the layout of an area to its theme.
However, things went downhill as viewers pointed out McMurry didn’t seem to know how to play their character properly, with key resources like Fury going unspent and instead opting to lunge at enemies which isn’t the most optimal play for clearing dungeon mobs.
The comments section of the video was quickly filled with players echoing this sentiment, with some going so far as to say Blizzard was “beyond saving” if members of their own dungeon design and development team struggled to play the game.
Discussion continued on the game’s subreddit, where one user noted the skill level of a dungeon designer shouldn’t be a reflection of the company or the position. “Most workplaces function at a ‘know your own job and let other people do theirs’,” said the user, which is commonplace not just in the gaming industry but across the workforce as a whole.
Other community members weren’t convinced, with responders pinning the blame squarely on the PR department. “If anything, Blizzard doesn’t know how the community thinks about them,” said one user.
As a whole, however, people were unimpressed at the lack of game knowledge from the Diablo developers. “This is painful to watch,” said one viewer, pointing out the duo hosts were vastly over-leveled for the dungeon and despite possessing numerous health potions, still found a way to die.
Another community member linked a similar dev discussion video with Ryota Suzuki, who designed Final Fantasy 16’s combat system, defeating a high-level boss with an underpowered character and making it seem like it’s child’s play. It’s in stark contrast to Blizzard’s video where the devs are at level 50, playing in World Tier One which is the lowest difficulty in Diablo 4, with one still dying to mobs.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 vs Diablo 4: which should you play?
Despite a brilliant record-breaking launch, players have had their faith shaken by a rather underwhelming follow-up that was the 1.1.1 patch, and videos like this one aren’t particularly helping Blizzard’s cause.
Published: Aug 13, 2023 02:31 am