Released on 24 February 2023, Diablo 3 Season 28, entitled Rites of Sanctuary, is arguably one of the best seasons yet, featuring the Altar of Rites content. As all Nephalem know by now, Diablo 4 releases on 2 June 2023 (via Early Access) and 6 June 2023 for everyone, but what happens to Diablo 3 once the next mainline entry releases?
This article explains what happens to Diablo 3 once Diablo 4 releases, alongside if you can expect more seasons and content for the 12-year-old ARPG, so let's dive in.
Diablo 3 Development After Diablo 4 Release?
In a group interview from WoWHead with Diablo 4 Game Director Joe Shely, and the Diablo franchise's General Manager, Rod Fergusson, the developers shed some light on what will happen to Diablo 3 once Diablo 4 is released and which season will have the final new theme.
Rod Fergusson explained that Diablo 3 Season 29 will have a new Season theme but that "it won't be as rich as Season 28."
The developers only explained that Diablo 3 players can expect:
A mix and match of previous cosmetics and features that made up previous Seasons.
This is largely due to future development efforts from the Diablo team at Blizzard going into Diablo 4, which will also feature a lot of seasonal content as a live service title.
Will Diablo 3 Servers Shut Down?
At the time of writing, there is no indication that Diablo 3's servers will shut down. With the developers planning to mix and match content for Season 30 and beyond, there's no way we will see Diablo 3 being thrown into the trash.
To be clear: Yes, servers will remain operational for the foreseeable future, and after Season 30, previous seasons will be repeated.
Diablo 3 had a good run, yes, but the future is Diablo 4. After playing the beta to death, we think that fans of the iconic ARPG franchise will and should move over to the next mainline entry, leaving Diablo 3 to rest. If you want to continue playing D3 however, you definitely can.
As you count down the days and hours to the launch of the game in your region, you can learn more about the Diablo 4 endgame activities in an official video from the devs below.
So there you have it; Diablo 3 will remain operational following the release of Diablo 4 but will get its last new content in Season 29.