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Path of Exile 2 was a game so successful that its developers couldn’t accommodate everyone who wanted to play during Day 1 of the Early Access release. Take note, this Early Access game isn’t free. That means the millions of players who dived in and paid did so possibly knowing that the game would be priced free in six months or so in its full release. Such success for what was once a “Diablo clone” has invited both innovation and rivalry.
For the record, Path of Exile 2 Early Access racked up more than a million players in less than a day. As for how many of those players have stayed, the game is still in the top five Most Played on Steam despite its Dark Souls-like difficulty.
It might have been hard for Diablo 4 General Manager Rod Fergusson to ignore Path of Exile 2‘s showing. The Diablo 4 head took to X to say something about Path of Exile 2. It’s old news, but well, you be the judge:
The tweet came after Path of Exile 2‘s 1-hour video showcase detailing its endgame. It’s worth noting that Diablo 4 isn’t without its own share of success this year. Critics often regarded the Vessel of Hatred expansion as the right step forward for Diablo 4. Vessel of Hatred more or less did the same as what Reaper of Souls did for Diablo 3 which was to make the game generally fun and something the players wanted
Rod Fergusson is certainly on to something, however. Because after Path of Exile 2‘s overwhelming success, new competitors have arisen for the isometric ARPG or the so-called ‘Diablo-like’ formula.
Former Diablo 1 and 2 Devs Have Announced Their Own Diablo-Like Game
It’s no secret that many Blizzard devs have since left the megacorporation to found their own game studios. Some of those Blizzard devs have also previously worked on the games that gave Blizzard its signature reputation for being a trendsetter, like Diablo 1 and Diablo 2.
Well, now those very same developers have formed Moon Beast Productions. Moreover, the studio has announced that they’re working on their own isometric loot-based ARPG. Moon Beast has even secured $4.5 million to fund what they consider a callback to what made the early Diablo games awesome, basically something similar to what Path of Exile did.
If you’re unaware, hardcore Diablo fans often heralded the first Path of Exile as the spiritual successor to Diablo 2 (more so than Diablo 3). It’s mainly the loot, the steep learning curve, and the innovative systems that won the hearts of Diablo 2 fans. Meanwhile, Diablo 3 moved to a more casual direction to expand the franchise.
Now, there are bound to be more Diablo-like games on the horizon with Moon Beast Productions trying out the same strategy, and with the ripples that Path of Exile has caused. So far Moon Beast Productions hasn’t revealed the name of their new project yet. However, the studio is confident due to the number of angel investors they have to back them up.
As for Moon Beast Productions’ former Blizzard veterans, those would be Erich Schaefer who worked as lead designer for Diablo 1. Other names include Phil Shenk and Peter Hu who worked on Diablo 2 and its expansion, Lord of Destruction. Peter Hu also notably worked on Torchlight and Torchlight 2 which was one of the earliest Diablo-like competitors.
In short, Moon Beast Productions knows what it’s doing with its Diablo-like title.
Diablo-Likes are Booming
Moon Beast Productions’ headfirst dive into the genre once again is likely not a coincidence, of course. The isometric ARPG genre is thriving, to say the least. Diablo 4 has had success retaining its players despite early missteps. Path of Exile 2 has essentially shone a new mainstream light on the genre.
Prior to Path of Exile 2, Last Epoch has also seen its fair share of success earlier in the year. The indie game developed by frustrated Diablo fans even peaked at more than 264,000 players in its first few months. Meanwhile, other smaller indie titles and even solo devs have been going the isometric ARPG route for decades with varying degrees of relative success.
So Moon Beast Production has most likely seen a positive reception to Diablo-like games or Diablo clones. It appears the Diablo veterans in Moon Beast want to show the world how it’s done– the way they originally intended. Now Path of Exile 2 will have even more Diablo-like competition after its success, and so will Diablo 4.
