Path of Exile 2 is the next big action-RPG coming out, and it’s generating a lot of excitement! But when you’re talking about the next big game from Grinding Gear Games, there’s one glaring problem: Diablo 4.
I spoke with iGamesNews during the 2024 Summer Game Fest, and game director Jonathan Rogers talked about what the team learned from the launch and ongoing updates of Diablo IV. His response? The team learned very little, but the game did reinforce some of Reg’s pre-existing beliefs. The most pressing of which was the merits of an open world in an ARPG.
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“I think with Diablo IV we weren’t responding to anything directly,” Rogers said. “More than anything, it validated other options that I’ve always believed in. For example, I’ve always been skeptical of open worlds in video games. I know they can work in some ways, but for action role-playing games, I’m not a fan of it. I’ve always thought it didn’t work, and I certainly didn’t like that element in Diablo IV.”
“I think dungeons are much better than the open world, and the open world kind of holds it back, so this solidifies that opinion for me.”
We share Rogers’ sentiments! When we reviewed Diablo IV upon its release, we noted that the game’s appeal was greatly diminished by the inclusion of open-world areas. While the freedom to explore is great, it inevitably gives up some of the structure.
Rogers then noted that, for the most part, many of the big changes and improvements in Path of Exile 2 (some of which are the same as in Diablo IV) already existed. Hence the lack of learning. “In general, there’s not a lot we need to learn from Diablo IV. Something I always say to competitors is you don’t look at your competitors and copy what they do, but you watch and pay attention to the new minimum standards that players expect it to meet. What are the things here that set the bar for playability that we need to make sure we meet? If we can learn from Diablo IV, that’s great.”
“For Diablo 4, I don’t think there’s a lot of content. We’ve already done a lot of what needs to be done in that regard. So they obviously had a dodge roll, but we decided to add it before it came out, so it’s not a response. It’s just something that’s a modern action game.”
The game’s release on PC and consoles was bound to invite comparisons, and while ultimately having two healthy rivals vying for love and attention can only be a good thing for gamers, it’ll also be interesting to see where each game outshines the other.
This isn’t the only article we have about our interview with Jonathan Rogers, who also discussed Path of Exile 2’s PlayStation Plus requirement and the continuation of microtransactions. Read the article and check back soon for more interesting insights from the chat. The next article is coming soon!
