Blizzard used to be a studio that defined genres. With Starcraft, it set the standard for the competitive RTS. With World of Warcraft, it made the MMO mainstream. And with Diablo, it reimagined what an RPG could be. I don't see any of that Blizzard in Diablo 4. The long-awaited sequel isn't just iterative, it's timid.
When I said that the Diablo 4 beta made me feel like Blizzard hasn't learned anything about action-RPG combat in the 11 years since Diablo 3, some in the comments told me I was judging the game too early. But the more I play of the full release, the more things I see that confirm that feeling. Diablo 4 is desperate to not be Diablo 3, but it's so hesitant to do anything new that it can't move past it either.
