Blizzard is bringingDiablo IVover to Steam. Starting October 17, PC players can play the action RPG through Valve’s ecosystem rather than the Blizzard’s first-party launcher,Battle.net.
The move continues Activision Blizzard’s recent efforts to migrate its newer (and somewhat old) games to Steam. In August, Blizzard broughtOverwatch 2to the platform and, despite being inundated with negative reviews, it opened as a Steam bestseller.
For most of Blizzard’s lifetime, its games have existed onBattle.net. BringingDiablo IVout of that ecosystemshows the company’s continuedshift toward widening the audience for its games by hosting titles a massive PC storefront like Steam and paying platform fees to reach new players.
Compared to Overwatch 2, which arrived on Steam nearly a year after its initial release,Diablo IV’sjump after four months is considerably shorter. But unlike the hero shooter, Blizzard’s newest title has been seemingly doing well in the months since release.
Shortly after its Junelaunch,Diablo IVwas said to be Blizzard’s fastest-selling game ever, and Activision Blizzard wasted no time in bragging about the game’s success. Coming to Steam will only boost its popularity even further, particularly since it’ll have cross-play like its PC and console versions.
Diablo IVis also the first entry in the series that comes to Steam. WithDiablo 3’slifecycle having recently ended, andDiablo II: Resurrectedstill in play, it may not be long before those two titles get put on the platform so Steam players can experience the full breadth of the franchise in a modern context.