Diablo 4 General Manager Rod Fergusson proves the battle of the ARPGs is entirely player-driven by shouting out the Path of Exile 2 devs.
There are a tonne of notable similarities between Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4 with both games being isometric ARPGs in dark fantasy settings. This has caused a narrative of competition between the two titles to develop amongst players.
Those frustrated with bugs in Diablo 4 Season 7’s PTR have threatened to leave the game for Path of Exile 2. Some have even referred to it as the Diablo 4 killer while proponents like Asmongold have warned that the game will “cannibalize” Blizzard’s audience.
While players online have stirred a bit of competition, that rivalry doesn’t appear to have taken hold amongst developers. Diablo 4 General Manager Rod Fergusson took to X to give the team at Grinding Gear Games a preemptive congratulation on the early access launch of Path of Exile 2.
Before the craziness of launch day tomorrow, I just wanted to say "Congratulations!" to GGG for their Early Access release of Path of Exile 2! My pre-download is finished and I'm looking forward to playing over the holidays. Now to figure out what class to play…
— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) December 5, 2024
Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 fans can both get along
A previous post on the platform from Fergusson in which he talked about popularizing the term Diablo-like for isometric ARPGs drew a lot of heat. Players had taken it as a slight toward Path of Exile 2 and assumed Fergusson was accusing the developers at Grinding Gear Games of emulating Diablo 4’s style too closely.
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Despite the heavy criticism, it appears Fergusson and his team don’t hold any ill will toward Path of Exile 2 or the people working on it. “Before the craziness of launch day tomorrow, I just wanted to say “Congratulations!” to GGG for their Early Access release of Path of Exile 2,” Fergusson posted.
Diablo 4’s Global Director of Community also announced that he would be playing their ‘competitor’s’ early access offering. “This is the way! We are all gamers,” popular Diablo 4 content creator Rob2628 said of Fergusson’s post. Others in the thread claimed it was a “redemption” after his earlier musings were taken the wrong way.
Path of Exile 2’s early access version launches on December 6, 2024, at 11 AM PST. The devs at Blizzard are still figuring out which class to pick and if you’re in the same boat, our guide on Ascendancy should help you out.
