The much-rumoured Switch 2 version of Diablo 4 apparently includes both expansions of the action role-playing game – Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred – all in one Age of Hatred Collection. And it’s reportedly being released 15th September.
That’s according to Dealabs’ leaker billbil-kun (via Resetera), the person who provided the originating ‘Diablo 4 on Switch 2’ rumour earlier this month. Back then, a date wasn’t known, nor did we know whether the expansions would be included, yet now, we apparently do.
The 15th September release date is two days after Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon event, which this year takes place 12th-13th September. Whether the Switch 2 version of Diablo 4 will be revealed there or at next week’s Gamescom event in Germany, however, remains to be seen. Diablo 3’s Switch port, for reference, was unveiled at Gamescom.
Diablo 3 was a natural fit for Switch, allowing you to trample hordes of monsters on the go, and it transposed the action well. I remember seeing lots of people playing it at BlizzCon 2018 when I was there; it’s always encouraging to see the Blizzard faithful accept it.
It’s been a protracted wait for the Switch 2 version of Diablo 4, with Diablo 4 first being released in June 2023, then Switch 2 in June last year. Presumably, Blizzard was preoccupied finishing the Lord of Hatred expansion, which was released in April this year. Taken as one Age of Hatred package, there’s a lot for your rumoured £63 there.
Blizzard adopted a yearly expansion update cycle for Diablo 4, though it hasn’t quite hit that day and date – there’s been a little slipping here and there. Broadly, it’s intact, though, therefore we’re expecting to hear more at BlizzCon about what’s next for Diablo after the Hatred arc centered around Mephisto.
However, the Xbox division that Blizzard is a large part of, is under considerable strain, rocked recently by wide-ranging restructuring which saw 1600 people lose their jobs immediately, and a further 1600 roles earmarked for termination between now and next summer. Then again, Blizzard is apparently the “top performing” Xbox studio, largely thanks to Diablo 4, so perhaps it’ll be spared the scissors.
