Fans of Blizzard’s highly successful dungeon-crawling RPGDiablo 3may have a release to look forward to in 2019, if a purported leak is to be believed.
Originally released in 2012,Diablo 3received critical acclaim at the time and has enjoyed enormous success since, with new content being released for the title by Blizzard as recently as last year. In addition to being available on the PC, the game has had releases on both the Xbox One and 360, and the PlayStation 3 and 4. Now it may be that a newDiablo 3port for the Nintendo Switch is in the works, and planned for release in 2019.
The information comes from journalist, and self-styled “industry insider,” Marcus Sellars, who tweeted about plans for a 2019 Nintendo Switch release forDiablo 3. In more detail, his tweet goes on to mention that foremost among concerns for this planned release is the incorporation of local play, the feature which enablesup to 10 Nintendo Switches to connectand play together over a local wireless connection. GivenDiablo 3’sreputation as a multiplayer title, this emphasis certainly makes sense.
This is not the first time Sellars has leaked insider information - in recent months, he has been the source of numerous rumors, including that the nextLegend of Zeldagame to be released by Nintendowill be a remake. While these recent claims have yet to be either verified or debunked, as with all such online rumors, they should be taken with a grain of salt. Not only could it prove to be untrue, but 2019 is still a long way away - even if there is a Nintendo Switch release ofDiablo 3being planned, it could very well still be in the earliest stages of development. It could easily be cancelled, delayed, or otherwise halted well before anything official is announced.
That being said, consideringDiablo 3’sremarkable success and the fact that it is presently available on every other console, this rumor is certainly believable. Given the high sales figures of the Nintendo Switch, it would seem to be a smart move if Blizzard was planning on marketingDiablo 3to the new Switch audience. That being said, Blizzard recently announced that they had no plans to releaseHearthstoneon the Switch, and Blizzard’s most successful recent title,Overwatch, isn’t available on the Switch either.
If this rumor proves to be true, then it could well open the door for other Blizzard games to release on the Switch, but until then, fans ofDiablo 3may not wish to take Sellars at his word until something more concrete is announced by Blizzard.
Diablo 3is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
