Blizzard has announced the open beta and early access dates for Diablo 4, which will take place from March 24 to March 26. The announcement comes with just under four months until the full release of Diablo 4, and it comes at an awkward and chaotic time for Blizzard recently.
Many Blizzard employees left an all-hands meeting on Zoom with Blizzard President Mike Ybarra feeling demoralised and outraged. Some employees took to social media to vent their frustrations, criticising Ybarra and other Activision Blizzard executives for being out of touch. Given that Diablo 4 is only a few months away, and given the success of work-from-home projects like World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, it remains to be seen how the backlash will affect both the company and the upcoming beta and early access periods for Diablo 4.
The Diablo 4 open beta will run from March 24 to March 26.
Those who pre-purchased the game, on the other hand, will have exclusive early access to the open beta from March 17 to March 19. The news was revealed on day two of IGN Fan Fest, which was previously hinted at by Rod Fergusson, the Diablo series’ general manager. The announcement was accompanied by a suspenseful new trailer that shows what the Horadrim face in the aftermath of Lilith’s return. Lilith is the main antagonist of Diablo 4 and the daughter of Mephisto, one of Diablo 2’s Prime Evils.
Participants in the open beta will be able to play the prologue and first act of the game, with a level cap of 25. Additional information about the game’s systems and the open beta will be revealed during a Diablo 4 developer stream on Tuesday, February 28 at 11:00 a.m. PST.
Given that Diablo 4’s full release date remains June 6, the open beta period will take place with just over two months until launch. With stiff competition from other June releases such as Final Fantasy 16, it’s unclear whether Blizzard will stick to the original release date or change it at the last minute.
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