Diablo Creator Criticizes Fast Progression in Modern ARPGs

David Brevik, co-founder of Blizzard and designer of Diablo, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the recent evolution of Diablo-style ARPGs, arguing that the experience has become shallow due to accelerated progression, excessive worthless loot, and the overwhelming number of enemies on screen. ARPGs Are Too Fast? Diablo Creator Thinks So In an interview, Brevik criticized the trend in modern ARPGs to focus on rapidly and massively eliminating enemies solely to earn more rewards and level up at high speed. According to him, this approach has removed the sense of impact and friction that characterized the early Diablo games. “Now it’s all about killing hordes of enemies in seconds, filling the screen with irrelevant items, and progressing as quickly as possible. Honestly, I don’t find that to be an appealing experience,” he stated. For Brevik, Diablo II—a game he directed—had a more personal and realistic pace, with a better balance between the number of enemies on screen and the player’s abilities. He believes that part of its lasting success is due to this slower, more challenging structure, in contrast to the “lawnmower” feel that...

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