Diablo (electronic game)

Diablo is a video game released by Blizzard on December 31, 1996. It was designed by the gaming studio Condor, which was acquired by Blizzard during the development process. Diablo is considered a landmark computer game. It was the first popular roleplaying game that did not utilize player turns. Instead, all actions happened in real time.

Diablo was known for its horror-based themes and dark, creepy artwork. In the game, players control a character that delves deep into underground dungeons. If the characters survive for long enough, growing more powerful with each defeated enemy, they must face Diablo, the final boss of the game. The tone, atmosphere, and playstyle of Diablo were heavily influenced by the tabletop roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, that its creators played.

Blizzard capitalized on Diablo's success. They released Diablo II on June 29, 2000, and then released Diablo III on May 15, 2012. Each game received expansion packs, extending the length of the story and giving players additional content. A fourth installment in the series is planned, but not released, as of 2019.

Background

Silicon & Synapse, the original name of Blizzard, was founded in 1991 by Allen Adham, Frank Pearce, and Michael Morhaime. Most of Silicone & Synapse's early work involved porting existing games from one computer system to another. For example, they would make an existing PC game function on home consoles. The company released its first original game, The Lost Vikings, in 1992.

Following that release, Silicon & Synapse committed itself to releasing original works as a video game development company. They released Rock 'N' Roll Racing, a vehicle-based game, in 1993. Soon afterward, Silicon & Synapse rebranded itself as Blizzard, distancing itself from the porting work completed by Silicon & Synapse.

Blizzard released Warcraft: Orcs and Humans in 1994. The game marked Blizzard's first foray into Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, which would later become a staple of the company's portfolio. In RTS games, players give commands to numerous units at once. However, unlike other games of that style, players' time was not divided into turns. Instead, commands were given and followed in real time. Blizzard followed that release with Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, which improved on the gameplay and graphics of its predecessor. In both games, players were able to choose whether they wished to play against a complex artificial intelligence or against another human. This option for multiplayer games helped expand the appeal of Blizzard's products, adding a social element to gameplay. Blizzard would later capitalize on that appeal with the seminal multiplayer game World of Warcraft.

Overview

Diablo, also called Diablo I, is one of Blizzard's most famous games. David Brevik, one of the lead figures in the design and development of Diablo, based the art, design, story, and gameplay of Diablo heavily on roleplaying games he ran in high school. Brevik was an avid fan of the popular roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, which utilizes a party of players taking on different roles to defeat challenges. Games run by Brevik were particularly dark, violent, and gory.

Brevik began creating plans for the game that would become Diablo when he worked at the game company Condor. In the design stages, game designers planned for Diablo to be a turn-based single player game that would release later episodes through expansion packs. Additionally, the game was intended to permanently kill player characters once they died. This was in stark contrast to many other games of the era, in which players were given a number of "lives" to complete the game.

Originally, the designers of Diablo hoped to use stop-motion to animate real models for the game's art. They were inspired by similar games, such as the popular arcade fighter Primal Rage. However, after investigating, they realized that such an endeavour would be too time-consuming and expensive for the small studio. Instead, Brevik went with traditional animation.

While working on another title, Condor developers met with developers from Silicon & Synapse, the company that would eventually become Blizzard. Silicon & Synapse wanted to begin producing original game titles, and was beginning to move away from porting games. After making Warcraft, Blizzard heard that Condor was working on developing a new computer roleplaying game. They agreed to publish the completed game.

Early in the game's development cycle, Blizzard requested that the game be changed from turn-based to real time. Brevik was against the change, but decided to go along with Blizzard's plans. In doing so, they revolutionized the concept of the computer roleplaying game. Soon afterwards, once Blizzard learned that Condor was struggling to pay its employees, Blizzard acquired the small company. This gave Condor the resources it needed to complete Diablo.

The game experienced numerous difficulties in its last months of development. Condor and Blizzard employees worked heavy amounts of overtime to push the game release date forward. Diablo was officially launched on December 31, 1996.

Diablo featured customized player-characters that delved deep into dungeons to fight demons. If they survived long enough, the player-character would have to fight the game's final boss, Diablo. The game was phenomenally successful, and is considered a seminal step in the roleplaying game genre.

As Diablo rose in popularity, Blizzard got to work turning the game into a franchise. They released Diablo II on June 29, 2000. Diablo II retained the dark fantasy and horror themes of its predecessor. It also included access to Blizzard's free online service, Battle.net. This service made is significantly easier for computer users to play multiplayer games together from the comfort of their own homes. In 2012, Diablo III was released to significant critical acclaim. A fourth game in the Diablo series is also planned as of 2019.

Bibliography

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"20 Years of Diablo: An IGN Retrospective," IGN, 2017, www.ign.com/articles/2017/07/30/20-years-of-diablo-an-ign-retrospective. Accessed 20 Aug. 2019.

"Before Blizzard & Warcraft, There Was Silicon & Synapse," Wonder How To, 2011, indie-games-ichiban.wonderhowto.com/news/before-blizzard-warcraft-there-was-silicon-synapse-0128234/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2019.

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"The History of Blizzard," IGN, 2016, www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/22/the-history-of-blizzard. Accessed 20 Aug. 2019.

"The Past, Present, and Future of Diablo," Kotaku, 2018, kotaku.com/the-past-present-and-future-of-diablo-1830593195. Accessed 20 Aug. 2019.

"The Perfect Storm: How Blizzard North Channeled Chaos to Design the Original Diablo," VB, 2013, venturebeat.com/2013/09/16/the-perfect-storm-how-blizzard-north-channeled-chaos-to-design-the-original-diablo/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2019.