No, Diablo 2's Second Expansion Was Not an MMO

Diablo 2's Second Expansion Was Not Going to Be an MMO, David Brevik Explains


Published: February 15, 2021 2:56 PM /

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Diablo 2 MMO ARPG cover

Former Blizzard North President David Brevik recently talked about a second Diablo 2 expansion that was never made. Unfortunately, there's some confusion that it was going to be an MMORPG, but that's simply not the case.

David Brevik is a man with a solid history in game design, serving as one of the co-founders of the Diablo developer Blizzard North and the company's President for a time. Aside from Diablo, his credits include Marvel HeroesDungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, and Hellgate: London. Most recently, he's been working on his indie game It Lurks Below — a game we had a chat about back in 2018.

Brevik recently revealed some behind-the-scenes tidbits about Diablo 2, explaining that a second expansion was "designed, never produced." He also commented on some other projects including an early version of Diablo 3 — and this has led to some confusion about the features of the second Diablo 2 expansion.

Diablo 2 MMO ARPG It Lurks Below
David Brevik's most recent project is the indie game It Lurks Below, a title that takes a fair amount of inspiration from his work in the Diablo franchise.

Second Diablo 2 Expansion Was Not an ARPG + MMO, Brevik Says

Over the weekend, someone asked David Brevik about rumors of a second Diablo 2 expansion that never came to light. Brevik responded to those tweets, explaining that this expansion had been designed but had never been produced. He added that it was made roughly 6–12 months before he left the company, and that's one of the driving reasons why it was never actually created.

This line of questioning also led to some people asking about the other project Brevik mentioned — an early version of Diablo 3. This game would have had a lot in common with Marvel Heroes in many respects, effectively serving as both an ARPG and an MMO.

It's certainly nice to hear little tidbits about the Diablo content of yesteryear that had been planned. There's been a bit of a mix-up, though — some people have come to the mistaken conclusion that the second Diablo 2 expansion was going to be an MMOARPG.

As you can see from the above tweets, that's clearly not the case — note that Brevik's third answer is responding to a question about an early version of Diablo 3. In short, the second expansion for Diablo 2 would have certainly been interesting, but the "[ARPG]+MMO" elements that Brevik talks about were for its then-unreleased sequel Diablo 3.

For now, you can look forward to hearing more about Diablo at Blizzconline starting on Friday, February 19, 2021. You can buy David Brevik's latest game It Lurks Below on Steam for $19.99 or your regional equivalent.

Would you have wanted to play a Diablo MMO? Do you think the franchise is heading in the right direction with Diablo 4? Let us know in the comments below!

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Diablo 2
Game Page Diablo 2
Developer
Blizzard North
Platforms
Windows
Release Date
June 29, 2000 (Calendar)
Genre
Action RPG