The worlds of Diablo and the cult manga “Berserk” finally intersected in a large-scale collaboration. Both works belong to dark fantasy and tell about the gloomy struggle of people against superior demonic and divine forces, which makes their union especially organic and exciting for fans.
The event has already started in Diablo Immortal and will last until May 30, 2025. The adventurers are waiting for an epic battle with the boss Nosferath, and the special event “Curse of the surviving”, recreating the atmosphere of the eclipse. Players will also be able to get the legendary gem “Crimson Bekhelite”, a set of armor “Broken bonds” and unique look of weapons.
In Diablo IV, the collaboration will be held from May 7 to June 4, 2025. The players will have the opportunity to knock out special “Bekhelites” from elite monsters to get unique thematic awards: “Fate of the Hawk” (trophy for the back), the armor for the Hall of the “Emblem of the Knight-Cherep”, the cursed “Squire of the victim”, the tombstone of “Eclipse” and much more. In addition, the wardrobe of the heroes will be replenished with the legendary look: “Berserker’s armor” for Barbara, “Hawk of the Light” and “tormented” for the robber, “Knight-Cherep” for the necromancer, as well as the pet Pak and the new transport “The Fighting Honage Hail of the Hawk”.
Given the high similarity of the universes and the great interest in this event, the Japanese game portal 4gamer.net decided to conduct a t interview with key developers from Blizzard Entertainment. The leading artist Diablo IV Vivian Kostya and the leading artist Diablo Immortal Emil Salim shared the backstage details and secrets of creating this ambitious crossover. We have prepared for you a translation of this conversation into Russian.
Hello. The worlds of the Diablo and Berserk series are largely similar. Could you tell us how the idea of this cooperation arose?
Mr. Emil Salim (hereinafter-Salim): We can say that this happened by itself. When in our team we were talking about who it would be great to arrange a collaboration, the Berserker always popped up first. The Diablo and Berserk series are close in spirit, because both belong to the genre of dark fantasy. In addition, the story of the Berserk, where people suffer and rush between the divine and demonic entities, resembles the relations between angels, demons and napalms fundamental for Diablo. This is the history of the confrontation of humanity and divinity, therefore we can say that this collaboration was a foregone conclusion.
Ms. Vivian Kostya (hereinafter referred to as the bones): In addition to the similarity of stories and concepts, there were other reasons for this collaboration. The fact is that they have an intersecting fan base, and we thought that we could please the fans of both universes. Among the developers of Diablo IV and Diablo Immortal there are also devoted fans of the Berserk, and when the collaboration was announced, they were delighted.
How do developers of both games perceive the artistic style of the Berserker? And how do you evaluate the work of the original author, Kantaro Miura?
Bones: Art “berserker” is made in a realistic style, with elements like medieval armor. This direction coincides with Diablo IV, so it was easy to transfer it to the game. As part of the collaboration for Diablo IV, we paid special attention to textures. To recreate the Berserker style, special, gloomy textures are needed, so we carefully worked out how they would look at 3D models. Thanks to these efforts, I think we managed to well transfer the Berserk to 3D to Diablo IV.
Salim: Among the developers of Diablo Immortal there are also a lot of fans of the Berserk, and they said: “We want to quickly add elements of the Berserker to the game,“ We want to see how it will look in the game. ” Perhaps this will sound a little abstract, but in the drawings of the master of Miura, the emotions and suffering of Gats are read. We thought about how to transfer these features to the game. We worked closely with the art team working on the Berserk manga to create this collaboration.
Were there any difficulties, the moments that had to break the head over?
Salim: Since our concepts coincided well, it was quite easy to work with Diablo Immortal. However, the texture of the cloak, which wears the Gats, had to be redone several times. We created several versions, experimented with the appearance and focused on recreating the atmosphere of manga.
Bones: with Diablo IV there was also high compatibility, in addition, employees were fans of the Berserk, so the development went with great enthusiasm. If we talk about difficulties, then this is perhaps the armor of the knight-chaleep. If you transfer them to the game with the same proportions as in the manga, then the character’s hands began to through the armor or merge with it. Therefore, we created them with great caution, trying to maintain the feeling of proportions of the original and at the same time make them look natural. This has become a good lesson for the future.
There are many different items. How did you decide which of them to add to the game?
Bones: we thought about which class from Diablo IV which character of the Berserker is suitable most organically. For example, Gats have costumes from his mercenaries and armor; In the collaboration for Diablo IV, we correlated them with the robber and barbar, respectively. Why is the mercenary robber? Because the robber uses the tactics “hit and run”, and this corresponds to the combat style of Gats of the period when he masterfully owned different weapons. And the armor of the berserker is ideal for Barbara – the class specializing in close combat. We decided that only a barbarian will be able to convey the image of Gats, fighting in a rage, so we came to the current option.
Salim: In Diablo Immortal, we created content for collaboration with the idea of reproducing the history of the Berserker inside the game. The game already had a content called the “Curse of the Survivor”. We decided to introduce enemies from the Berserk there and reproduce in the game something as close as possible to the “eclipse” that Gats experienced. We managed to add objects from the original, including the legendary gem “Crimson Behalite”, so, I think, we were able to realize almost everything we wanted.
Bones: Personally, I was not initially deeply familiar with the original, but, having re -read it in connection with the collaboration, by the end of the development it became a big fan. As you know, the world of Berserk is huge. We still have ideas that I would like to implement. Be it Diablo IV or Diablo Immortal, with limited time and resources, it was necessary to focus on creating the main part of the collaboration, and this was the dictated by the choice. I think that from the point of view of the fans of the Berserk, this collaboration is a successful choice affecting the key moments of the original, and Diablo fans will also feel the proximity of both universes.
Salim: When we reviewed the Berserker when determining the concept of collaboration, we saw so much interesting that our eyes were scattered – it was felt as a “Swedish content table”. As a result, we decided to focus on the Arch of the “Golden Age” – this is the key part of the history of Gats and the most sign. To satisfy fans of both sides, this time we focused precisely on the Arch of the Golden Age.
How exactly was the original integrated into Diablo Immortal?
Salim: In the event “Curse of the Terrified”, as they , the enemies appear one after another and become more and more. During this, additional elements are added, for example, the player also receives damage, which, I think, allows you to feel an eclipse from the original. The battle with Dodd in the original is a sign scene for fans. We developed the design of the battle with the boss, trying to reproduce the impressive moments and replicas as accurately as possible. For example, we wanted to recreate the moment where the Dodd is surprised: “Is a person able to fight like that?”, As well as the changes taking place with the Dodd himself. In addition, in the game battle with Dodd, the environment also reproduces the original. You can survive the battle with him right in the game.
At the same time, the “curse of the tormented” and the battle with the Dodd is separate activity, and at the same time you can participate in only one of them. And here is a small hint: we would like you to fight with Dodd, having equipped with crimson behelitis. That’s all I can say at the moment.
In Diablo IV, PAK appears as a pet, and in Diablo Immortal a golem. Tell us why the choice fell on them?
Bones: There were quite a few candidates when choosing a pet for Diablo IV. Among them, Pak turned out to be the brightest. The world of Berserk is gloomy, but, looking at Pak, you experience some inexplicable feeling of calm, even hope. The story of Diablo IV is also gloomy, and it seems to me that Pak can become those who will soften this atmosphere a little. The fact that it is so important for fans is another reason for the choice. In our company it is customary to appreciate the fan base, and from the point of view of respect for the fans of both universes, PAK is the most suitable option.
Salim: Since the Diablo IV team has chosen a pack, for Diablo Immortal it was necessary to choose another character … and the choice fell on the goal. Golems of different shapes and sizes appear in the original, so we thought that they were perfect for the role of a pet. When we turned to the creators of the original with the proposal: “We would like to customize the golem in our own way,” they reacted to this with great enthusiasm. Thanks to this, we got unusual look, for example, with custom -made leaves.
What are the wishes from the creators of the original in connection with the collaboration?
Salim: According to Diablo Immortal, we received a request: “When game characters use weapons from the original, please make sure that this does not violate the atmosphere of the source.” Therefore, not all classes can use all the appearance of the weapon. At times, we talked almost daily – our interaction was so dense and open.
Bones: Diablo IV was a similar request. In Diablo IV, the correspondence between classes and cosmetic objects has already been determined; In this case, the armor of the berserker is intended for Barbara, so other classes cannot use them, so there are no particular difficulties with this. By the way, about the armor of Berserk: there was a wish to “portray a cloak as if he were alive,” and we worked closely to achieve this. When we proposed new ideas, they were also met with openness. I think communication has ed smoothly.
And finally, your message for fans of both universes.
Salim: The developer team worked on this collaboration with great enthusiasm. Based on the desire to reproduce the original manga in the game, we added many elements – from obvious to small references – so look for them. We created everything with respect to Master Miura, so I think fans will be able to appreciate it. And one more thing: although, probably, not all Diablo fans read Berserk, this is a real masterpiece, so be sure to read the manga. And then you will see how much effort we put to recreate the original.
Bones: When it was decided to make a collaboration, I was amazed: was there so many fans of the Berserk in the developers team? This collaboration is a love letter from these fans to all fans of the Berserker. We sought to accurately reproduce the original, and I hope that fans would feel it.
