Blizzard Confirms 10-Year Vision for Diablo IV, Pushing Diablo V Beyond 2033

Blizzard Entertainment is taking a long-term approach with Diablo IV, confirming a decade-spanning roadmap that places the next major installment, Diablo V, well beyond the horizon. According to Rod Fergusson, General Manager of the Diablo franchise, the studio has laid the groundwork for at least ten years of content and support for Diablo IV, establishing its future as a continually evolving live service title rather than a stepping stone to a new sequel anytime soon.

In a recent interview with Game File, Fergusson elaborated on Blizzard's vision, stating:

"We're here for the long haul... We've been doing long-range planning recently. And I've created a roadmap — a 10-year roadmap... it was actually a 12-year [roadmap] — I can see this, this, this and this and all these different things that we can do, [which] is really inspiring. And it's really exciting. We're focused on what players want."

For context, the development timeline of past entries in the Diablo series has historically stretched over long intervals. The gap between Diablo II and Diablo III spanned 12 years, followed by another 11-year wait until Diablo IV launched in 2023. Therefore, while a 10-year horizon for the next installment may sound like a considerable wait, it would, in fact, represent a shorter gap by the franchise's standards.

In the shorter term, Blizzard's immediate focus remains squarely on sustaining Diablo IV through consistent seasonal updates and major expansions. A 2025 roadmap was unveiled earlier this month, detailing new content and system improvements, though it also confirmed that the next major expansion is not expected until 2026. Among the long-requested features on the horizon is keyboard and mouse support for consoles, a quality-of-life improvement scheduled for release in mid-2025.

The company’s strategy reflects broader trends in the live service gaming industry, where franchises are increasingly developed with enduring support models in mind. For Blizzard, this means that Diablo IV will remain the central pillar of the series for the foreseeable future, with Rod Fergusson and his team steering long-range plans well into the next decade.

As Blizzard commits to the long-term evolution of Diablo IV, it raises an open question for the community: what innovations or features do you hope to see introduced over the next decade of Sanctuary?