Blizzard’s Terrible Decision to Delay Diablo 3 Season 34

General Discussion
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Blizzard’s Disgusting and Petty Decision to Delay Diablo 3 Season 34

Blizzard has once again proven that they have absolutely no respect for their dedicated player base. The sudden, last-minute delay of Diablo 3 Season 34 from the 24th to the 31st is not just a disappointment—it’s a slap in the face to every loyal fan who was looking forward to it. This decision, made mere hours before the season was set to launch, reeks of corporate greed and pettiness, all in a desperate attempt to force attention onto Diablo 4—a game that has already failed miserably.

A Complete Betrayal of the Player Base

Many of us meticulously planned around the original start date. Some of us adjusted work schedules, set up countdown timers, and even prepared to endure the terrible lag of the Asia server just to get an early start. Blizzard’s abrupt decision disregards all of that. It’s not just about a delay—it’s about the sheer disrespect shown to a loyal community that has stuck with Diablo 3 for over a decade.

Diablo 4’s Failure Should Not Be Our Problem

Let’s be honest—Diablo 4 is a disaster. Its player numbers have plummeted, and the game lacks the depth, replayability, and enjoyment that made Diablo 3 a success. Instead of fixing their broken game, Blizzard has chosen to sabotage Diablo 3’s momentum in a desperate attempt to funnel players into their failing product. This is not just a bad decision; it’s a deliberate act of manipulation.

Blizzard’s Reputation Continues to Plummet

Blizzard used to be a company that valued its community. Now, they are known for bad decision-making, greed, and a complete disconnect from their player base. This delay further cements their reputation as a company that prioritizes marketing gimmicks over the actual gaming experience. Every time they make a decision like this, they lose more of the few remaining loyal fans they still have.

Final Thoughts

Blizzard, you have failed your community yet again. Instead of rewarding the players who have stuck with Diablo 3 for years, you actively undermine them to prop up a failing game. This move is disgusting, petty, and ultimately self-destructive. The people responsible for this decision should be ashamed because, once again, Blizzard has shown that they are no longer the company that once made legendary games—they are just another soulless corporation chasing profit at the expense of their most dedicated players.

EDIT: Claiming it was based on “player feedback”—is an outright insult to our intelligence. No actual Diablo 3 players asked for this change; in fact, the overwhelming reaction has been frustration and outrage. This pathetic attempt to shift the blame only proves how disconnected and dishonest Blizzard has become. Instead of owning up to their marketing stunt, they hide behind a blatant lie, further eroding what little trust remains.

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Very good writeup and pretty much sums all of it up.
Shameful behaviour of blizzard and they should revert this asap or show us ANY “evidence” of these player inputs. Because i think its more like some exec in the D4 lineup that got his underpants in a twist…

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True and real!!!

Release it today!!!

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It’s absolutely disgraceful behaviour from Blizzard. I know they ain’t releasing new seasons to this game anymore and are re-releasing old content. But we are a loyal playerbase and I know several grinders that take days off work to play the entire weekend out together, including my self.

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Just the disgusting behavior of Blizzard, took and dumped everything on the players, are you really holding us for idiots? You want it, not us, i took a weekend to play today, and who are you after that? If today there is no noose season, i will not launch Battlenet in my life, not when i no longer play your games, this is a spit in all fans, i can’t endure this

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Clever done blizzard, im sure most people doesn’t even know that the season is delayed. Treating players as a buch of monkeys, looking for dopamine, thinking that the players of D3 will be coming too D4 because its season is delayed. Pathetic!

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“Player feedback”… Suuuuuuuuuure. Not at aaaaall the marketing for D4 looking at dwindeling numbers.
We dont WANT D4 dammit…

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Diablo 4 is trash, delay as much as you want, nothing will change Blizzard.

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Totally agree!

Come on Blizzard. Just admit the delay is wrong and release it today!

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Give us the D3 Season Please Blizzord :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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Well, you said it all brother. D4 feels threatened by a 12 year old game on life support, with no content or updates for years, and an old recycled season. This alone says it all. Instead of pushing to make D4 a better game with meaningful endgame and in depth RPG elements, they are turning against their own player base. At this point I am fairly certain, that the season 33 end fiasco was not by mistake, but it was actually a deliberate attempt to undermine and sabotage Diablo 3. An attempt that screams: “D3 is dead, from now on move to D4 if you want a reliable game with no issues”. It’s sad truly, but there is Karma in the form of POE, when it fully releases. Hell, even grim dawn and last epoch are way better games than D4 at their current state. Even if they are light years behind in promotion and marketization. Lastly, never forget that D3 was left to its devices because of Diablo immortal :joy:

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with each decision they make, with each midle thinger to the playerbase in every game i feel less and less sad about the fact that i wish to see blizz as the next ubisoft, cause this is what they deserve, ow got killed by the superhero shooter, good, they avenged the ones like me who get robed buyng ow1, they masacrated warcraft 3 replacing it with a 20gb abomination, hots was good, they left it to rot, hs is just packs and skins now, god i wish with all my hearth to see the day they finaly shot down cause of revenue, only wow keeps them afloat, wonder how much to, cities are more empty by the expansion

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You need to take a deep breath dude.

IT’S JUST A GAME.

You can play the new season in a few days. It’s also free. Time to go outside for a walk and get some vitamin D maybe?

To be honest it’s a good and reasonable decision to have the D3 and D4 new seasons a bit more separate. It’s good not the best organisation in the original date setting, but man, you need to zoom out here and chill out.

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not true, we want to have Diablo 4, but it has to be better than D3 xD. D4 is dumpster fire.

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Oh, how enlightening—thank you, wise sage, for reminding me that IT’S JUST A GAME. Clearly, I had no idea. By that logic, I suppose reliability, commitments, and basic respect for a community should all be thrown out the window—because, after all, why should anyone expect a company to honor its own schedule when it’s just a game, right?

But here’s the thing: commitment and anticipation matter. When a company sets a date, people plan around it. Whether it’s a game, an event, or any scheduled activity, it’s basic respect for the people who care. Dismissing frustration with a condescending “go outside” argument doesn’t make you sound reasonable; it makes you sound like someone who doesn’t understand the principle of keeping promises.

And let’s not pretend Blizzard’s excuse holds any weight. This wasn’t about “better organization” or “reasonable decisions”—it was about manipulating players to prop up a failing game. Defending that kind of behavior with smug indifference doesn’t make you rational; it makes you complacent. But sure, keep patting yourself on the back for being so chill while defending corporate incompetence. I’m sure Blizzard appreciates your noble sacrifice.

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We’re going to have to agree to disagree here, as we both hold very different opinions on this.

I don’t see this issue as a big deal at all.

I was personally looking forward to the new season and noted the date change, and well now I am still looking forward to the new season and now I am waiting a few more days - that’s about it. It’s an opportunity to play the game in a few more days. Nothing else has changed.

I don’t consider the original date a promise as you say. It’s just a date; and they’ve changed it. It has moved a few days, and we’ll play it in a few days in the future. That’s about it. I don’t think their correlates very well to an event or scheduled activity as it doesn’t affect travel plans, people are not incurring third party costs - it is just a delay - that is frustrating for a few, but mainly most people aren’t bothered. I suspect you’re in an significant minority feeling so bothered by this. Most people will be just getting on with their business and playing in a few more days.

Ultimately, I think you need to relax. The condescending point I may about “going outside” is meant to be slightly condescending; but that statement can be replaced with anything else - “phone your parents” or “do something around the house you’ve been putting off”. So well done for noting that.

D3 is old game now. A few days changing a date is really no big deal at this stage of the life cycle of D3. It’s logical business sense to avoid a clash with D4 and it’s poor planning on their part to have them so close initially, but it has been corrected and that’s about all there is to it now. Enjoy playing the new season in a few days. Blizzard isn’t making much money from D3 now. You need to refocus your perspective on this. You’re being irrational.

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You’re not wrong. Personally I find it crazy for someone to plan his life/work/social/ schedule around a video game season. For me the problem with blizzard lies within their utter disrespect towards their customers and the lack of communication even for very trivial stuff. That and the fact that they think the 2 or 3 streamers that play diablo 10 + hours every day represent the rest of the players, or they are some kind of majority… So if wudijo or raxxx or whoever else thinks that d4 and d3 seasons shouldn’t coincide because apparently they can’t fit both games in their 20 hours game sessions it’s ok. But when massive requests from the nonames happen they ignore us deliberately. (I don’t have anything against those guys, it’s just the first names that came to my mind. Quite the opposite I am a fan especially of raxxx)

The only communication D3 player base has had for months is the “oops we’re sorry” when the season 33 ended abruptly. And the explanation for S34 delay: “We received a good amount of feedback that many didn’t want overlap with the first weekend of Diablo IV’s new season. We agree so we are building out that gap and will be more mindful of that going forward. We received a good amount of feedback that many didn’t want overlap with the first weekend of Diablo IV’s new season. We agree so we are building out that gap and will be more mindful of that going forward.”

Now that’s a blatant lie for one of 2 reasons.

  1. They either want to cover up for their lack of compentence/effort/resources to maintain the game. A suspicion that is reinforced by how they handled S33 end and the technical issues that emerged.
  2. They want all their available customers to move to D4 because of the imminent threat of POE, and they feel D3 threatens D4. This of course is a huge fail by itself, how a 12 year old game for many of us seems way more enjoyable and interesting than their biggest product right now.

Seriously, if you want to kill D3, kill it. If you want to make all your games look like casinos, then do it. If you need 5 more years for D4 to be fun, then so be it. If you think POE or D3 is a superior game, then make D4 better. Just don’t lie to us. We are not 12 year old.

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Ah, the classic “agree to disagree”—the polite way of saying “I have no real counterargument, so I’ll just pretend both perspectives are equally valid.” But let’s be clear: this isn’t about a difference of opinion; it’s about the fundamental principle of reliability and respect for a dedicated player base. Your entire stance boils down to “It doesn’t bother me, therefore it shouldn’t bother you,” which is as lazy as it is dismissive.

You claim that the original date wasn’t a promise—just a “date that changed.” How convenient. By that logic, no one should ever expect any company to honor any commitment, because “it’s just a date.” If you don’t think launch schedules matter, that’s fine—don’t pretend your indifference is some enlightened perspective the rest of us need to adopt.

Then there’s the claim that most people “aren’t bothered.” Based on what? A gut feeling? The fact that you don’t care? Because if Blizzard’s forums, Reddit, and social media are anything to go by, a large number of players are bothered. But sure, let’s dismiss them all as a “significant minority” because it’s easier than engaging with the actual frustration.

And as for your attempt to reframe your condescending “go outside” remark—you don’t get points for admitting to being patronizing. You were being smug and dismissive, and now you’re trying to dress it up as friendly advice. But here’s some actual advice for you: if you enter a thread dedicated to complaints just to tell people their complaints don’t matter, don’t act surprised when you get called out for it. It’s the rhetorical equivalent of walking into a protest to announce you personally don’t have a problem. Nobody asked, and it contributes nothing.

Blizzard made a last-minute, unnecessary change, justified it with a blatant lie, and disrupted plans for players who actually cared. If that doesn’t bother you, that’s your business. But don’t mistake apathy for wisdom, and don’t expect people to take you seriously when your entire argument is that you personally don’t mind.

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I hope you survived the delay? You can play very soon! Did you survive and make it here?

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Bro are you okay? Did you survive the additional few days wait?