Despite prior commitments to making Diablo II: Resurrected play like its original version, Blizzard has quietly removed a popular function of the 2000 game. Back in the day, Diablo II owners were able to circumvent signing on to Battle.net to play with their friends via LAN. However, in a recent open beta Q&A, Blizzard confirmed that Diablo II: Resurrected has had the TCP IP multiplayer option removed over “potential security risks.”
For some time, Blizzard had been adamant that the remastered game wouldn’t deviate much from the original. Sure, it’ll have nicer graphics and some needed quality of life enhancements, but it’ll still be Diablo II at its core. In an interview with Eurogamer back in February, Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson said TCP IP, which allowed players to connect directly over LAN, was still in the plan. However, even then he showed some caution about security.
“A lot of the stuff that we’re doing is what was there in the original. We’re really focused on having an authentic experience,” Fergusson told Eurogamer. “You can still connect locally through TCP IP if you want to! That was there in D2. It’ll be there in D2R. We’ve really focused on making sure that if there’s something about the core experience you loved, we’re bringing that over. But we do get a lot of benefits from being on a more secure platform.”
No LAN parties for you
In a handful of months, Blizzard has clearly reversed on that decision. In an open beta Q&A posted yesterday, the company revealed that TCP IP functionality has been removed, not just for the beta but for the final release of Diablo II: Resurrected.
“TCP/IP support will not be available in the upcoming Beta or the final game,” stated the announcement. “After careful deliberation, we will no longer be supporting this option as we identified potential security risks and are committed to safeguarding the player experience.”
The Diablo II community has not really been taking the news well. Lanning it up with Diablo II was major for a lot of fans back in 2000. With TCP IP gone, that means you won’t be able to play with a buddy or three locally with mods. It’ll be through Battle.net or not at all.
Diablo II: Resurrected will have an early access period on August 13, followed by an open beta on August 20. Activision Blizzard has been rocked by harassment allegations following the filing of a lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and housing.
Published: Aug 11, 2021 05:00 pm