Diablo was originally intended as a turn-based game, but a developer’s curiosity—and one fateful mouse click—steered the project in a completely different direction. Today, the legendary ARPG is a household name, but its birth is rooted in a simple yet dramatic incident. Thirty years ago, Blizzard was envisioning a tactical RPG, but one click changed everything.
Diablo is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming, though few know its humble beginnings. Today, Diablo 4 runs as a live service with regular updates, but at its inception, the story behind the genre-defining ARPG contains a twist of fate. In the late ’90s, Blizzard aimed to build Diablo as a turn-based game—until a single skeleton click rewrote history.
Diablo: Nearly Turn-Based — Then Came the Mouse Click
According to GameStar, franchise creator David Brevik was testing a line of code when he clicked on a skeleton by chance. The character automatically approached, swung, and killed the enemy—what Brevik later described as “incredible.” That moment was the spark that shaped Diablo into the real-time action RPG we know today.
Despite Blizzard’s original plan for a slower, strategy-focused RPG, Brevik believed a turn-based pace would offer deeper gameplay. Yet, the team at Blizzard North voted in favor of a real-time approach. That collective decision shifted the direction, introducing core ARPG elements like randomized loot and character progression.
Now in its ninth season, Diablo 4’s Nightmare Dungeons are tougher than ever. But at the heart of it all lies a developer’s curiosity—and a single mouse click that redirected the course of gaming history.
