Diablo® IV Revealed

Newest incarnation of Blizzard Entertainment’s genre-defining action–role-playing franchise returns with dark, visceral gameplay, robust customization, deep loot, and infinite adventures

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- An ancient evilthreatens to engulf Sanctuary in darkness, and new heroes have been called upon to face challenges the world has never seen before. Today, Blizzard Entertainment announcedDiablo IV, the highly anticipatednext entry in its genre-defining action–role-playingseries. The newest installment of Diablo was announced during BlizzCon®2019, where attendees were eager to be the first in the world to play a public demo of the game.Diablo IVdraws players into a grim story line and gives them

the freedom to explore and forge their own path

across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary—a bleak and shattered hellscape bereft of hope and beset by demons.

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Diablo IV draws players into a grim story line and gives them the freedom to explore and forge their own path across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary. (Graphic: Business Wire)

True to the franchise’s roots,Diablo IVwill deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play,

Diablo IV

will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.

“Sanctuary has been a home toDiabloplayers for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announceDiablo IVtoday,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessentialDiablogameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”

InDiablo IV,players will attempt to bring hope back to the world by vanquishing evil in all its vile incarnations—from cannibalistic demon-worshipping cultists to the all-new drowned undead that emerge from the coastlines to drag their victims to a watery grave. For the first time in the series,

Sanctuary will be a contiguous, seamless landmass

comprising diverse regions ranging from the burning desert of Kejhistan, to the verdant werewolf-infested forests of Scosglen, to the harsh and rugged wilderness of the Dry Steppes.

At BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed the first three ofDiablo IV’s character classes, all playable at the show: The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat,utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle,Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks. The Sorceress hearkens back to theirDiablo IIroots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky. The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s furyon the forces of the Burning Hells.

These three iconic characters honor the legacy of the franchise and exemplify howDiablo IVbuilds upon the series’ history by preserving the coreDiablofantasy while allowing players to explore untapped gameplay possibilities with fresh inspiration. Players will be able to experiment and discover countless character builds through customizable

talent trees and skills,

a deep loot system filled with

legendary and set items

to collect,

runes and rune word combinations,

and even

personalized mounts

for traversing the open world.

Diablo IVis being developed using modern technology that pushes the franchise to dark, new depths. This technology is at the heart of everything players will see, hear, and feel—delivering much higher fidelity and a more engrossing experience. It opens up countless possibilities for theDiabloseries, from smooth character animations, such as the Druid’s fluid shapeshifting, to the seamless, vast overworld players will travel across in search of the next loot-filled underground dungeon. Ultimately,Diablo IVwill ground players in a grittier and deadlier world.

Diablo IVis currently in development and will be coming to PC, PlayStation®4, and Xbox One. Brave souls can seek out more information at www.diablo.com.

For screenshots and other assets, visit http://blizzard.gamespress.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits includingWorld of Warcraft®,Hearthstone®,Overwatch®,Warcraft®,StarCraft®, andDiablo®franchises, and the multi-franchiseHeroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-two #1 games*and numerous Game of the Year awards. The company's online gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest online-gaming services in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distributors.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:

Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements aboutDiablo IVcontent, including the availability, features, and functionality ofDiablo IV, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191101005550/en/

Sara Zaidi

Global PR Manager

949.955.1380 x61091

szaidi@blizzard.com

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.Copyright 2019, Business Wire