Blizzard fans who learned about Diablo 2: Resurrected will be pleased to know that the game won't feature any microtransactions, nor will it replace the original game, in the same way that Warcraft 3: Reforged did for Warcraft 3. Diablo 2: Resurrected is an upcoming remaster of the classic hack and slash game from the year 2000, which is coming to PC and consoles in 2021. Blizzard announced Diablo 2: Resurrected during the opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2021, which was a fully-online event, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Diablo franchise received a lot of attention during the event, as the Rogue class from the original Diablo was also confirmed to be returning in the upcoming Diablo 4. Diablo 2: Resurrected is a remastered version of Diablo 2 and its Lord of Destruction expansion. The player will be able to experience high-quality remastered visuals and all of the cinematics that have been redone, but it has the same original gameplay. Diablo 2: Resurrected is running over the original version of the game, and the player can switch to the appearance of Diablo 2 any time.
Screen Rant recently took part in a group interview with Diablo 2: Resurrected developers Matthew Cederquist and Robert Gallerani. It was revealed during the interview that the game won't feature any microtransactions. Diablo 2: Resurrected adds QoL improvements, but there won't be any significant content updates. As such, there is no room for additional content like loot boxes or other microtransactions.
Robert Gallerani: No, there's no microtransactions, no "oh we'll sell you a shared stash, we'll sell you a pet, we'll sell you some cool wings".
It was also confirmed that Diablo 2: Resurrected won't replace the original game, as it will exist in its own separate ecosystem. This concern was raised due to the issues with Warcraft 3: Reforged replacing the original game when players who owned Warcraft 3 couldn't download it again after the release of Reforged.
Matthew Cederquist: One of the decisions we made was to actually keep Diablo 2, the 2000 version, Lord of Destruction in 2001, we decided to keep that in its own ecosystem. So, the players who want to continue playing that version of the game, whether it be an elaborate mod that was put out, or just the game itself, they can still play that. Diablo 2: Resurrected is in its own eco-system with the modern BattleNet, modern security systems, updated ladders, so on and so forth. In its own thing.
The intention with Diablo 2: Resurrected is to keep the gameplay as close to the original as possible. It might have been possible to squeeze in some costumes or console exclusives (like The Legend of Zelda gear in the Nintendo Switch version of Diablo 3), but including new items would have thrown off the balance of the original. Diablo 2: Resurrection replacing the original was a legitimate concern, and it's great to hear that people will still be able to play the original game.
Diablo 2: Resurrected will be released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021.