‘Diablo III’ getting big skill and rune system changes, losing senior producer

Last year, Blizzard’s Diablo III was slated for a release in early 2012, but that date is looking more tentative all the time. Blizzard’s game director has posted a long list of updates made in response to beta feedback, including changes to character balance, removal of several items, and some UI tweaks. The blog post has a full list of the changes, many of which seem designed to limit redundancy or streamline the UI — items like the Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube were judged superfluous because the things they were used for could already be done in a simpler way.

Also in the works are “major changes to the skill and rune systems,” which aren’t being discussed yet but will probably push back the game’s release. The game director began his update with a long justification of why changes were being made, saying that “we trust in our ability to put out a great game, but we’re not quite there yet.” While we don’t know how extensive the updates are, the Diablo team is clearly hinting at some delays.

And these aren’t the only changes at Blizzard. Last week, Diablo III senior producer Steve Parker tweeted the following:

Parker hasn’t given any further details, but says he is looking forward to “bigger and better things.” Blizzard, meanwhile, is currently hiring for the position of Diablo III senior producer.