Diablo 4 Switch 2 reportedly launches days after BlizzCon with both expansions
▼ Summary
– A Switch 2 version of Diablo 4, including both expansions Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred in an Age of Hatred Collection, is reportedly releasing on 15th September.
– The leak comes from billbil-kun on Dealabs, who earlier rumored the Switch 2 port but lacked details on date and included expansions.
– The release date falls two days after BlizzCon (12th-13th September), though it’s unclear if the game will be revealed there or at Gamescom.
– The package is rumored to cost £63, bundling the base game and both expansions after Diablo 4’s June 2023 launch and Switch 2’s June 2024 release.
– Blizzard, a top-performing Xbox studio partly due to Diablo 4, faces uncertainty amid Xbox restructuring that cut 1600 jobs and plans 1600 more layoffs by next summer.
The long-rumored Diablo 4 Switch 2 port is reportedly set to launch on September 15th, bundling both major expansions into a single “Age of Hatred Collection.” According to Dealabs leaker billbil-kun, who first broke the initial Switch 2 rumor earlier this month, the package will include both Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred, giving players the complete current saga right out of the gate.
That September 15th date lands just two days after Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon event, scheduled for September 12th-13th this year. Whether the company will pull the curtain back on the portable version during its own convention or wait for next week’s Gamescom in Germany remains an open question. For context, the original Diablo 3 Switch port received its big reveal at Gamescom, so there’s precedent for either venue.
The Diablo 3 Switch port proved to be a natural match for Nintendo’s hybrid hardware, letting players carve through demonic hordes during commutes or lazy afternoons on the couch. The transition worked remarkably well, and I recall seeing plenty of attendees happily grinding away on it at BlizzCon 2018. That kind of reception from the Blizzard faithful has always been a good sign for the franchise’s portable ambitions.
Fans have been waiting a considerable stretch for Diablo 4 to make the jump to Switch 2. The base game hit shelves in June 2023, while the Switch 2 itself arrived in June of last year. It seems plausible that Blizzard’s focus was tied up finishing Lord of Hatred, which launched this past April. When you consider everything wrapped into the rumored £63 price tag for the Age of Hatred Collection, there’s substantial content for the money.
Blizzard has committed to a yearly expansion cadence for Diablo 4, though the schedule has slipped a bit here and there. The overall rhythm remains mostly intact, which suggests we’ll likely hear what’s coming next at BlizzCon, particularly after the Mephisto-centric Hatred storyline concludes.
That said, the broader Xbox division, which oversees Blizzard, is navigating turbulent waters. Recent restructuring efforts have already cut 1,600 jobs, with another 1,600 positions slated for elimination between now and next summer. Still, Blizzard reportedly stands as the “top performing” studio within Xbox, largely driven by Diablo 4‘s ongoing success, so the team might avoid the worst of the cuts.
(Source: Eurogamer.net)
