Original Diablo Releasing on Game Pass Might Undermine Diablo 4 Season 7’s Momentum

The game that birthed the action RPG genre as we know it today is about to find a new home on Game Pass. Starting January 14th, PC Game Pass subscribers will have the chance to experience Diablo in its purest form—where every descent into Tristram’s cathedral feels like a desperate fight for survival, and the mere mention of “fresh meat” was enough to send players scrambling for the nearest town portal.

While this announcement would typically be cause for celebration among fans of dungeon crawling and loot hunting, the timing raises some interesting questions. With Diablo 4′s Season 7 launching just a week later on January 21st, and the controversial Spiritborn saga finally reaching its conclusion, this classic’s arrival might just throw a wrench in Blizzard’s carefully laid plans.

And speaking of plans, let’s talk about that elephant in the room—the current state of Diablo 4 and its community’s rather explosive relationship with damage numbers that would make even a calculator blush. The timing of this classic’s return couldn’t be more intriguing.

When old school meets new problems

The original Diablo’s arrival on Game Pass isn’t just a nostalgia trip—it’s a reminder of simpler times when game balance meant making sure the Butcher didn’t one-shot you in the first dungeon. Fast forward to today, and Diablo 4′s Spiritborn class has been casually breaking the game’s damage counter because apparently, “negative quadrillion billion” is now a legitimate number in Sanctuary.

Blizzard‘s approach to this mathematical mayhem has been, well, interesting to say the least. When players discovered they could achieve damage numbers so high they caused integer overflows, the developers made the peculiar choice to let the broken builds ride. Rod Fergusson even took to Twitter to poll players about fixing the Spiritborn, which went about as well as you’d expect when asking people if they’d like their power fantasy nerfed.

The result? A community divided, with every other class and build becoming increasingly irrelevant in the face of Spiritborn’s dominance. In the November mid-season campfire chat, Blizzard finally committed to fixing these “unintended interactions,” telling players to “enjoy what you’ve got now while it’s there.”

But after months of letting players essentially break the game, this upcoming nerf feels less like balance and more like a harsh return to reality.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect (or worse)

With Season 7 set to launch on January 21st, bringing with it the long-awaited Spiritborn nerfs and promised build diversity improvements, the arrival of the original Diablo feels almost poetic. Players who’ve grown accustomed to dealing astronomical damage numbers might find the transition back to normal gameplay jarring, making the classic’s simpler, more straightforward approach to demon slaying surprisingly appealing.

The original game’s arrival on Game Pass also coincides with Path of Exile 2‘s growing dominance in the genre. Many disillusioned Diablo 4 players have already made the switch, citing the game’s more balanced approach to character building and Grinding Gear Games’ consistent development philosophy.

Now, with the original Diablo offering yet another alternative, Blizzard faces an uphill battle in maintaining player engagement through Season 7 and beyond.

The question isn’t just whether players will take a break from Diablo 4 to experience where it all began—it’s whether they’ll come back afterward.

After all, sometimes going back to basics reminds us of what made these games special in the first place: the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of a well-earned victory, and damage numbers that don’t require scientific notation to display.

What do you think about the original Diablo coming to Game Pass? Will you be taking a break from Diablo 4 to revisit where it all began? Let us know in the comments below!

This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire