With Diablo about to make its triumphant return to the PlayStation, Blizzard's developers have had an interesting task of having to develop Diablo 3 not just for the PS3, but also for the PS4.
The PS3 and PS4 are obviously two very different systems, and from an architectural standpoint, they couldn't be further apart when looking at ease of development and similarities to PC development.
In an exclusive interview with Examiner, Matthew Berger, who is Diablo 3's senior level designer, talked about the challenge of having to develop on both the PS3 and PS4, and what the PS4 brings to gamers and developers.
Who says a dud game can't have a video game comeback?
Cyberpunk and No Man's Sky have to be up there. We're lucky and cursed, equally, to have games that can be updated now. For folks old enough to remember the Sega/SNES into PS1 and even 2 eras, if a game came out that was half baked (*cough*Angel of Darkness*cough*) that was it, no redemption. At the same time, having the option for updates shouldn't be an excuse for half assing games.
I remember when the Nintendo Seal of Approval meant something.
All those games had to release without bugs.
Diablo III still works on modern PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and remains hugely playable a decade after initial release.
Diablo III: Season 28 brings with it the Altar of Rites, an altar full of unlockable bonuses and potions that will require the gathering of tons of resources. One of things needed is the Staff of Herding, which also unlocks the famous Cow Level known as Whimsyshire. Here's how to craft that staff, for those that either have forgotten, or have never completed it.
If they develop for both PS3 and PC I'd assume PS4 be easier then making it from scratch. The developers have mentioned how easy these next gen consoles are to program compared to last gen.
"from an architectural standpoint, they couldn't be further apart when looking at ease of development and similarities to PC development."
It'll still take work and resources but I doubt they won't be able to reuse some code from the PS3 and PC versions on the PS4 version.