A new interview with Diablo 2: Resurrected Game Producer Matthew Cederquist confirmed that the upcoming game will support importing classic Diablo 2 saves, an unexpected but welcome feature for the game’s many long-term, dedicated players. Diablo 2: Resurrected is a remaster of the classic Diablo 2 experience that seeks to dramatically enhance both the visuals and audio sound effects present within the title while preserving the gameplay mechanics and pacing that made it such an influential release in the summer of 2000.
The Diablo 2 remake announcement was rumored to come ahead of its eventual reveal at BlizzConline, but that’s done little to quell anticipation for Diablo 2: Resurrected. While Diablo 3 eventually grew into a strong long-term experience for fans, its initial launch saw many disappointed with the sequel, which didn’t live up to the lofty expectations its predecessors set for it. The oft-maligned Diablo Immortal looks promising, but is another experience that fans of classic Diablo might not necessarily be interested in, which makes Diablo 4 and Diablo 2: Resurrected important releases for a franchise looking to appeal to both new and old fans alike.
In an interview conducted by IGN Middle East, Diablo 2: Resurrected Game Producer Matthew Cederquist confirmed an unexpected but welcome feature, stating that the game will support importing classic Diablo 2 saves. Cederquist responded to a prompt about save file importing, stating “Yes! Keep your old save files. Back when we were working on [the remaster], we wondered if the old save files would work, so we kind of shoved it in, and it worked!” That news will not necessarily appeal to many given the age of Diablo 2, but many of that game’s fans have continued to play the 2000 classic decades later, and for those players, a Diablo 2: Resurrected save import feature will be extremely exciting.
The interview also confirmed that the save files integrate pretty well seamlessly into Diablo 2: Resurrected, as Cederquist stated that players can continue from where they left off in classic Diablo 2 and simply experience their current save file with better visuals and audio. While it’s not a make-or-break feature for a game this old – plenty of players will have likely lost save files migrating between computer upgrades – it’s a welcome one, and a nice nod to the lasting legacy of the game.
So far, fans of classic Diablo sound like they have a lot to be optimistic over when it comes to Diablo 2: Resurrected. Alongside the obvious visual improvements that make the game much more appealing in 2021, Diablo 2: Resurrected save imports will help preserve meaningful game states for fans who have continued to support the title throughout the many years since its launch. With a Diablo 2: Resurrected Alpha on the way, fans of the series will soon find out exactly how well the remake has helped a true dungeon crawling classic age.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is set to release for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in 2021.
