Diablo IV Won't Have an Offline Mode

If you're hoping for a Diablo 4 offline mode, prepare to be disappointed — especially if you're going to be getting the game on console.


Published: November 4, 2019 1:00 PM /

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Diablo 4 Offline Mode Sad Dude

Those of you who may have been hoping for a Diablo 4 Offline Mode are going to be sorely disappointed — Blizzard has confirmed that their newest action role-playing game is going to have an always-online requirement.

"We are not going to support an offline mode," Diablo 4 Lead Designer Angela Del Priore said as reported by GameSpot. "But as I said before, nothing in DIablo 4 is going to require partying up. You can play solo and dungeons are private. Campaign quest areas will [also] remain private."

The statement was made during the Blizzcon 2019 panel about the game in response to a question from the audience. While this news might not be surprising, a difference in the upcoming console versions of the game may well shock some players who don't have the best Internet connections these days.

Diablo 4 Offline Mode

Diablo 4 Offline Mode Won't Be Coming to Consoles, Either

Speaking to GameSpot, a Blizzard Entertainment representative has confirmed that no Diablo 4 Offline Mode will be coming to consoles, either. While the PC version of the previous game required people to have an Internet connection, console players were spared from this requirement. Now, the latest upcoming addition to the franchise is doing away with this option entirely.

The lack of a Diablo 4 offline mode might not be the best news for players who don't subscribe to their console's respective online service and/or have a terrible Internet connection. Quite a few people — deployed soldiers overseas, for example — play games on console expressly because of the ability to play without an Internet connection, and it seems that that is an option taht won't be afforded to those people.

However, the requirement for an Internet connection seems to make more sense when you explore some of the responses from Diablo developers in this VentureBeat article.

"We’re going for a feeling when you’re running around," Lead Lighting Artist Sean Murphy said to VentureBeat. "You’ll see a couple of people trickle by every once in a while. You’ll perhaps see a few more people when you’re in town. But we don’t want that to get too crazy. Diablo is a dark world. Very bad things are happening. But when you get to something like Ashava, the world boss, you’ll see more people are allowed to be there for that type of event, because obviously that would be probably impossible without a few groups of people."

"But it’s also just about being a connected experience," Mr. Murphy continued. "It’s just nice to be able to party up and group with folks and whatnot when you’re in town and then go off and adventure together. But when you get into the deep, dark dungeons, it’s just going to be you and your party. You’re not going to run into anybody when you’re down in the tunnels."

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