With franchise fans now eagerly counting down the days until the release of Blizzard’s long-awaitedDiablo 4, the developer has released new information about the wide range of accessibility options that will be included in the game. Blizzard has taken strides to make the game accessible to as wide of an audience as possible, and whenDiablo 4releases on June 6players will be able to choose from dozens of different accessibility features designed to ensure that gamers with disabilities should be able to enjoy the action-RPG with ease.
First announced at BlizzCon 2019,Diablo 4is the latest entry in Blizzard’s long-running action-RPG franchise.Diablo 4features a decidedly darker tone and a visual style far more in line with 2000’sDiablo 2than the more cartoonishWorld of Warcraft-influenced look ofDiablo 3, leading many long-time Blizzard fans to view the upcoming release as a return to form for the franchise. Set three decades following the events ofDiablo 3: Reaper of Souls, the upcomingDiablo 4tasks players with saving the world from looming darkness following the resurrection ofthe demon Lilith.
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In a lengthy news post from Blizzard posted on the company’s website, theDiablo 4developers have released new details about the wide range of accessibility features players will have access to in the game. There’s been an increased focus by many developers in recent years on including such features in their games to ensure that players can enjoy them regardless of physical handicaps, with theaccessibility features in 2022’sGod of War: Ragnarokbeing praised by many as setting a new bar for the industry. Blizzard’s post reveals thatDiablo 4will have over 50 different accessibility features designed to help players struggling with everything from their dexterity to vision.
Working from the idea that “the only limitation to adventuring in Sanctuary should be interest, not capability,” lead accessibility designer Drew McCrory and his team set out to ensure thatDiablo 4’s accessibility features gave players with disabilities a level playing field. This can be seen in the game’s robust dexterity assistance, which lets players remap every single input in the game on both PC and consoles and switch abilities requiring a long button press to a toggle instead.Diablo 4also includes numerous features designed to help players with vision problems, including audio cues that will play when gamers hover their cursor over dropped gear and color-customizable highlighting of players and objects.
Positive feedback from the beta events and this month’sDiablo 4server slam have positioned the latest entry in Blizzard’s long-running franchise as a worthy heir to the series’ legacy, and the accessibility options on offer look set to ensure that it will be playable by a wider audience than ever. And with recent statements making it clear thatBlizzard is confident thatDiablo 4’s launch will go according to plan, gamers of all abilities should be in for a treat when it releases this June.
Diablo 4will be available June 6 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
