“I felt the Diablo series had just moved on from the type of game that I loved.” That is how Chris Wilson — the developer who created Path of Exile partly because Diablo 2’s sequel never materialised — described his relationship with Blizzard’s flagship action RPG. But after watching the Diablo 5 reveal at BlizzCon 2026, something shifted.
“When I watched the Diablo 5 announcement, I felt a glimmer of hope,” Wilson said in a video breakdown over the weekend. “This wasn’t just due to the words they were saying, but also what they intentionally chose to show.”
Why a Path of Exile Creator Wants Diablo 5 to Succeed
Wilson, who left Grinding Gear Games in 2023 after more than a decade steering Path of Exile’s development, is not an impartial observer — but nor is he a disinterested one. He built Path of Exile as a teenager’s answer to the void Diablo 2 left behind. Six years after that game’s release, with no sequel in sight, he and his friends created what became one of the most enduring action RPGs in the genre.
Now, with his own unannounced ARPG in development, you might expect Wilson to view a new Diablo as a threat. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity for the entire ecosystem. “Every other action RPG developer benefits when the genre’s ecosystem is thriving,” he explained. “A rising tide lifts all ships.”
Context: Wilson co-founded Grinding Gear Games and led Path of Exile’s development from 2006 until departing in 2023. Path of Exile 2 is scheduled to leave early access on 11 December 2026.
What Gives Wilson Hope About Diablo 5
Several details in Blizzard’s announcement caught Wilson’s attention as deliberate callbacks to the series’ golden era. The Diablo 5 logo features letters engulfed in flames — echoing Diablo 1 and 2, and conspicuously absent from the cleaner branding of Diablo 3 and 4. Inventory concept art reveals items with distinct sizes and shapes, a hallmark of the earlier games that was abandoned in favour of uniform slots in Diablo 3.
Perhaps most significantly for fans of the series’ darker roots, Blizzard confirmed that Diablo 5 will return to procedurally generated environments in both dungeons and the overworld. Wilson described himself as “very excited” about that choice, noting it signals a design philosophy more aligned with the unpredictable, replayable structure that defined the franchise’s best entries.
He does have reservations. A flat DPS number visible on weapons is a modern convenience that feels out of step with the rest of the retro-inspired itemisation. And he acknowledges the tension Blizzard faces: “There’s a bigger question if they’re going to go all the way and risk alienating the modern audience that they’ve cultivated over the last couple of decades.”
Criticism of Blizzard’s Diablo 4 Stewardship
Wilson’s optimism about Diablo 5 is tempered by sharp criticism of how Blizzard is handling the transition. He called the decision to cease major expansions for Diablo 4 “distasteful,” arguing it undermines the narrative groundwork the game had been building. The Season of Hell’s Legacy event — a 30-year anniversary celebration that introduces all the Prime Evils simultaneously — drew particular ire.
“This event feels pretty distasteful to me. Diablo 4 was slowly building up to you being able to fight all the prime evils, then they introduce them all at once in a special event that isn’t really tied to the game’s story.” — Chris Wilson
He was equally blunt about the presentation of the main antagonist, who was jokingly called the “birthday boy” on the BlizzCon stage. “The key villain of a multi-billion-dollar franchise deserves a more serious approach,” Wilson said.
A Delayed Launch Seems Likely
Blizzard has positioned Diablo 5 for a spring 2029 release. Wilson is sceptical that timeline will hold. “My best guess is the game won’t be ready for spring 2029, but that’s okay,” he said. “Delays happen and are normal in this industry. I can’t count the amount of times I had to delay a Path of Exile League release and players were okay with it.”
His expectation: Diablo 5 will emerge as “a modern ARPG that borrows heavily from Diablo 2, rather than a true return to the design philosophy of Diablo 2.” It is not the pure revival some fans dream of, but for an industry that has watched the series drift from its identity, even a partial course correction feels like progress.
