At a time when ARPGs are flourishing in various game fields, Diablo 4, as the leader of this type of game, has not made any substantial improvements. This month, Path of Exile 2 and Last Epoch, both of the same type, released some major new content, but D4 did not make any moves.
Although it actually launched this year’s roadmap, the changes in the seasons did not give players a refreshing feeling. The root cause can be traced back to the release of Vessel of Hatred DLC last summer. At that time, many players felt that the content of this expansion was not enough to try at such a high cost, and the new plot it introduced was far from its potential.
Although D4 added some unique mechanisms for each upcoming season in this roadmap, such as Bosses Power, which will appear in Season 8, Diablo 4 lost its selling point to attract players to enter or return to the game when POE 2 just launched a new class and Last Epoch made major changes to existing classes.
However, in this D4 roadmap that everyone is predicting is doomed, there is still a key point that can keep loyal Diablo 4 players enthusiastic about it before the next expansion, which is expected to be released in 2026, appears - IP Collaboration. Although this key point may only appear in the next few seasons, this information in the roadmap is very likely to make Diablo 4 slightly better than many MMO games in the second half of the year.
About IP Collaboration
In fact, D4 has already conducted multiple IP collaborations with other games released by the same developer. In August last year, many skins with World of Warcraft themes were launched; Overwatch 2 has launched skins for bosses such as Lilith Moira, Imperius Reinhardt, and Inarius Pharah in D4.
So IP collaboration may be inevitable, and the most likely one to be launched first must be Overwatch 2, which has just been introduced. Based on previous cooperation, D4 may also paint its bosses or gear with theme skins of Overwatch series of games, among which Reinhardt, Reaper, and Mercy may be the best candidates.
Additionally, there are two IP collaborations on the roadmap, so another great partner is likely to be Doom: The Dark Ages, as both games are currently owned by Microsoft and are known for their demon-slaying gameplay. Most importantly, the release date for Doom: The Dark Ages is exactly when the first new IP collaborations on Diablo 4 roadmap will be released.
A Suggestion
Bringing superficial collaborations such as cosmetic skins to Diablo 4 is not the best way to retain players in the long run, so developers can actually learn from Fortnite’s experience and integrate IP collaborations into gameplay, and give players more ways to earn Diablo 4 Gold.
For example, bringing the worlds of series such as Overwatch and Doom directly into Diablo 4’s Sanctuary will definitely take these collaborations to a higher level, thereby reducing the blow to players caused by the disappointing 2025 roadmap.