Blizzard confirm Diablo 4 release date has been delayed

Diablo 4’s release window has been pushed out of 2022 following a high-profile shakeup at Activision Blizzard back in October.

While the release date was never set in stone in the first place, the game is officially being delayed out of the new year – confirmed in the November 2 Activision Blizzard Earnings call.

The newest installment in the hack-and-slash RPG franchise was first announced back in 2019, but rumors of development challenges have swirled around the internet for much of 2021. Those fears were first substantiated by the cancellation of Blizzcon 2022 in favor of giving the developers more time to focus on their respective games.

The company announced that while they still have a lot left for release in 2022, both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 need more time before being shipped out the door.

Diablo 4 delayed in Activision Blizzard earnings call

The statement from Blizzard reads: “As we have worked with new leadership in Blizzard and within the franchises themselves, particularly in certain key creative roles, it has become apparent that some of the Blizzard content scheduled for next year will benefit from more development time to reach its full potential.

“While we are still planning to deliver a substantial amount of content from Blizzard next year, we are now planning for a later launch of Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 than originally envisaged. ”

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Although the statement doesn’t state any person or position by name, one of these key positions was likely former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack, who stepped down from his position following the launch of multiple sexual harassment lawsuits against the company.

An internal review also saw the departure of more than 20 other employees.

The statement closes with a note about the health of the games and what the development teams for both OW2 and Diablo IV will be doing with the extra time before release.

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“These are two of the most eagerly anticipated titles in the industry, and our teams have made great strides towards completion in recent quarters. But we believe giving the teams some extra time to complete production and continue growing their creative resources to support the titles after launch will ensure that these releases delight and engage their communities for many years into the future.”

There’s still no word on an official release date for the game, but it seems that gamers won’t be re-entering Sanctuary until at least 2023.