Blizzard has finally announced Diablo 4 during this year’s Blizzcon, the latest installment in the popular hack-and-slash RPG franchise. And fans are even more excited because the game is said to be inspired by the works of the horror manga artist Junji Ito.
In an interview with VG247, the lead quest designer of Diablo 4, Jason Roberts, cited Junji Ito as one of the major influences for the game’s visual style. According to him, he was hugely inspired by Junji Ito’s way of taking mundane things and twisting them to create horror elements.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RdDpqCmjb4&w=560&h=315]
For those who don’t know Junji Ito, he is one of the most popular horror manga artists around the world. He is known for his short stories that often focused on body horror, psychological terror, and the fear of the unknown. Ito also happened to be involved with Hideo Kojima while he was developing the unfinished Silent Hills P.T. alongside famed horror film director Guillermo del Toro.
During the Blizzcon Event, fans also get to see the cinematic trailer for Diablo 4. In the trailer, you get to see plenty of body horror, including a giant cape made of sacrificial blood. And that alone could tell where the inspiration came from.
No further details were unveiled about Diablo 4, including as to when it will be released. But it was confirmed that the title will be coming to Microsoft Windows gaming PC, PS4, and Xbox One. For now, all we can do is wait until Blizzard discloses further details about the game.