Former Diablo and Diablo II developers are creating a new low-budget action RPG with the ambition to redefine the genre. Given the success of the original Diablo games, this new ARPG from veterans of both titles has high potential.
Moon Beast Productions, an independent studio founded by Phil Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer, secured $4.5 million in funding to develop an ARPG that aims to "transcend established design conventions." This team of Diablo 1 and 2 alumni seeks to revitalize the hack-and-slash genre, focusing on creating a more open and dynamic experience, a vision they've held for over two decades. Their goal is to recapture the essence of the early Diablo games.
While details about the game remain scarce, the involvement of such experienced developers suggests it could become a top-tier action RPG. However, breaking into a crowded market filled with high-quality competitors will be challenging. The recent success of Diablo IV's "Vessel of Hatred" expansion, for instance, highlights the existing strong fanbase and potential resistance to change.
The competition is fierce, with established giants like Path of Exile 2 also vying for players' attention. Path of Exile 2's recent Steam launch was a remarkable success, achieving a peak player count exceeding 538,000, ranking it among the platform's top 15 highest peak player counts. This underscores the significant hurdle facing this new project.