Diablo 5 may not be due until spring 2029, but its early design details have already prompted a closely watched reaction from Chris Wilson, the former Grinding Gear Games co-founder. After reviewing what Blizzard has revealed about the next Diablo game’s story, itemization and monster levels, Wilson’s overall view is cautious rather than celebratory: the announced direction appears to draw meaningful inspiration from Diablo 2, yet it is unlikely—and arguably unwise—to become a straight recreation of that older game.
That distinction matters. Diablo 2 remains an important reference point for action role-playing game fans because of the way it makes items, character progression and inventory management part of its build-making decisions. But Wilson’s comments do not suggest that nostalgia alone is the answer. Instead, he expects Diablo V to be a contemporary ARPG that selectively brings forward ideas associated with Diablo 2, while retaining concessions to a much broader modern player base.
The comments also arrive amid a complicated moment for the series. Blizzard has announced Diablo 5 unusually far ahead of its projected launch window, while continuing seasonal development for Diablo 4. Wilson believes the next game may ultimately miss its spring 2029 target, but frames a delay as a normal development reality rather than an automatic sign of trouble. His reaction therefore covers more than a few UI screens: it is a case for why a sequel’s systems, production schedule and support for its predecessor all need room to work.
Why the inventory reveal has become a bigger design conversation
Wilson was particularly positive about the announced character and inventory interface. The significant point is that items again occupy different amounts of space. That is more than cosmetic screen layout. In an inventory system with variable item sizes, taking an item is a small logistical choice: players must decide what deserves room, what can wait, and what is worth leaving behind. The space an item occupies can help make it feel physically distinct from the rest of the loot pile.
For an ARPG, or action role-playing game, those choices sit beside the familiar loop of defeating enemies, finding equipment, adjusting a character build and taking on harder encounters. Itemization is the term for the rules that determine how gear works: what attributes it has, how its power is communicated, how players compare it and how it connects to a build. It is an enormous part of the genre’s long-term appeal because equipment is both a reward and a set of decisions.
The announced Diablo 5 stats also struck Wilson as closer in spirit to Diablo 2. He sees that as a positive step, though not one that should be confused with a confirmed return to every old mechanic. The information available so far establishes a direction, not a finished item system. What will matter later is how those stats interact with classes, progression, loot frequency, monsters and the game’s eventual endgame structure—details that have not all been established by the early reveal.
Wilson’s major reservation is the presence of a flat DPS figure on weapons. DPS means damage per second: a single summary number intended to quickly express a weapon’s offensive output. It can be immediately useful, especially for a player who wants to know whether an item is generally stronger without studying every line of text. But a highly prominent aggregate number can also steer decisions toward whichever weapon displays the bigger total, potentially reducing the visibility of less obvious synergies or trade-offs.
That tension is at the heart of Wilson’s response. A game can make item comparisons clearer without making every decision trivial. Equally, an item system can be intricate without making its complexity rewarding. A flat DPS number is not proof that Diablo 5’s gear will lack depth; it is simply one modern choice that Wilson does not favor. His broader optimism comes from the larger collection of ideas Blizzard has shown, particularly the inventory presentation and more Diablo 2-like statistical framing.
A sequel cannot be built only for the most nostalgic audience
Wilson does not argue that Blizzard should copy Diablo 2 wholesale. He explicitly recognizes that such an approach could alienate the modern audience that the franchise has cultivated over decades. In his view, a project on Diablo 5’s scale would be difficult to justify if it were aimed only at players who want an uncompromising revival of an older design philosophy.
“While selfishly it'd be amazing for them to make a new version of Diablo 2 just for me, I don't think they could justify an investment of that size for a game with a niche audience.”
It is a useful way to separate inspiration from imitation. Older systems can offer strengths worth revisiting, but they may also carry friction that made sense in their original setting or that newer players may not welcome. Wilson himself describes parts of Diablo 2’s design as clunky. The valuable question for Diablo 5 is not whether it can recreate every bit of that friction. It is whether the sequel can preserve the meaningful choices behind the older systems while presenting them in a game that feels usable and legible to a contemporary audience.
Wilson’s prediction is therefore a hybrid: a modern ARPG that borrows heavily from Diablo 2, rather than a genuine return to the entire design philosophy of that game. That is an analysis of Blizzard’s apparent direction, not confirmation of its final plan. Still, it captures why the early material has received interest. The game appears to be looking backward for some of its foundations while not abandoning modern conventions outright.
For players, the practical implication is to be cautious about reading one system in isolation. Variable-size items may suggest a more deliberate inventory. Stat displays that evoke Diablo 2 may suggest more specific gear choices. A flat DPS value may make comparison faster. None of those elements alone can determine whether the finished game’s buildcraft will be satisfying. Their importance lies in how Blizzard eventually balances accessibility, clarity and experimentation.
Readers looking for the initial reaction and the details that prompted it can also follow our related coverage of Wilson’s tentative hope that Diablo 5 can reclaim an older ARPG spirit.
Why Wilson thinks the 2029 release window could move
Blizzard’s stated target is spring 2029. Wilson’s best guess is that Diablo 5 will not be ready then, though he stresses that delays are normal in game development. Drawing on his experience with Path of Exile league releases, he notes that postponements happened and that players could accept them.
That does not make a delay inevitable, nor does it establish any revised timing. It is Wilson’s prediction, based on the scale of the project and the reality that release plans can change. The only firm window described so far remains spring 2029. Treating the distinction carefully is important: an announced target is not the same as a guarantee, but outside expectations are not the same as a change in schedule either.
His view also has a practical angle for the existing game. A later Diablo 5 launch would, in theory, give Diablo 4 more space to continue its own development. Blizzard has said it is not abandoning Diablo 4, despite Wilson’s sense that announcing a sequel so early can create that impression. The studio plans to continue advancing the story through new seasons.
Seasonal support is particularly relevant in an ARPG because it provides recurring content and opportunities for players to return, often around new mechanics, goals or themes. Continued seasons do not answer every question about Diablo 4’s longer-term future, but they are a concrete indication that Blizzard intends to keep the game active during the road to its successor.
Diablo 4’s anniversary event reveals a different disagreement
The current Diablo 4 season is tied to a 30-year celebration of the franchise and includes nostalgic material. Wilson is considerably less enthusiastic about that event than he is about the early Diablo 5 direction. His objection is not simply that familiar characters or villains have appeared; it concerns the way the event presents all of the Prime Evils at once outside the main narrative progression.
“To be honest, this event feels pretty distasteful to me,” Wilson said, arguing that Diablo 4 had been gradually building toward battles with the Prime Evils before placing them together in a special event that is not really tied to the game’s story.
That criticism highlights another ARPG design issue: the relationship between seasonal material and a game’s ongoing narrative. A limited-time or themed event can be exciting because it concentrates recognizable ideas in one place. Yet players who value a carefully paced story may see the same approach as diminishing moments that could have had more dramatic impact if they arrived through the core campaign or a connected expansion arc.
There is no claim here that all seasonal celebration content is inherently wrong. Rather, Wilson’s view is that the particular use of the Prime Evils undercuts a narrative buildup he believed was taking shape. It is a subjective judgment, but it explains why his commentary is not simple old-school enthusiasm. He is supportive of some design signals from Diablo 5 while openly critical of a Diablo 4 decision involving the franchise’s legacy.
What Blizzard has said about Diablo 4 and Diablo 5 classes
Alongside continuing seasons, Blizzard will add Diablo 2’s Amazon class to Diablo 4 in a DLC pack planned for early next year. The company has also revealed a handful of Diablo 5 classes and says the new game will launch with more classes than any prior Diablo game.
Those are substantial promises, but the early class information should be read at the level it has been presented. A larger launch roster can broaden the kinds of combat styles and character fantasies available, yet it does not by itself describe how differentiated or balanced those classes will be. Likewise, the Amazon’s arrival in Diablo 4 connects the game to an older favorite, but the details supplied only establish the class, the DLC format and the early-next-year timing.
For now, Diablo 5’s most interesting confirmed conversation is about its direction rather than its final form. Wilson sees reasons to be hopeful in the sequel’s apparent interest in Diablo 2-influenced item and inventory ideas. At the same time, he expects Blizzard to pursue a compromise between that legacy and contemporary ARPG expectations. With years remaining before the stated launch window, that is the sensible frame: encouraging signals, real questions, and plenty of design work still between an announcement screen and a finished dungeon crawl.
