Diablo 2: Resurrectedis just one week away from launch, when the classic ARPG will arrive on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S for the very first time. Activision Blizzard studio Vicarious Visions has gone to great lengths to maintainDiablo 2: Resurrected’s authenticity, even on consoles. However, there were always going to be limitations for the PC-focused game. The Nintendo Switch version ofDiablo 2: Resurrectedwill, unfortunately, have the biggest restriction.
In a blog post shared recently, and then reconfirmed by Blizzard on social media on Wednesday, a major limitation was revealed for the Nintendo Switch version ofDiablo 2: Resurrected. InDiablo 2: Resurrectedmultiplayer, games on PC and non-Switch consoles will allow for up to 8 total players in a single lobby. On Nintendo Switch, Blizzard has been forced to halve that total. Only four players will be able to play together in a single lobby on Switch.
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The reason for this limitation is assumedly technical, but Blizzard doesn’t say that specifically. Rather, Blizzard says that four players makes for an “optimal experience” when playingDiablo 2: Resurrectedon Switch, particularly for theSwitch’s handheld mode. It’s easy to visualize a handheld Switch user being overwhelmed by seven other players rushing onto the smaller screen at a time. That said, seven characters' skill effects on-screen are likely too much for the Switch’s lesser performance, as well.
While cutting the total number of allowable players in a given match in half is very much a severe limitation, it should still be more than enough forDiablo 2: Resurrectedplayersto still have fun. That’s still 3 potential questing buddies or 3 potential PvP enemies. If anything, 8 players might be overkill, but that’s part of what has madeDiablo 2multiplayer so popular over the years.
Beyond that, the Nintendo Switch version ofDiablo 2: Resurrectedwill otherwise also feature all of the core features previously announced for the game. That meansDiablo 2: Resurrectedwill have cross-progression, so if Nintendo Switch players wanted to do 4-player co-op on their commute and then jump into 8-player mayhem at home on their PC, their character progress will carry over. Console players will also have a new Party-Finder feature, a matchmaking system for specific in-game tasks like bosses and zones.
Make no mistake,Diablo 2: Resurrectedon consoles, whether it’s the PS5 or Switch, is going to take some getting used to.Diablo 2was a PC exclusive first andDiablo 2: Resurrectedis a faithful recreation of that experience.Vicarious Visionshas gone out of its way to make sureDiablo 2: Resurrectedfeels as best as possible on console, though it may take some getting used to.
Diablo 2: Resurrectedreleases on September 23 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
