Who would ever thought - D3 launching before T2

[Brixtan]

Wait. So I can't buy both games?

No, and neither can anyone else. This is the 2012 equivalent to the "You can't play Super Mario Bros and Sonic at the same time" argument.

[EdgeDamodred]

Wait. So I can't buy both games?

No, and neither can anyone else. This is the 2012 equivalent to the "You can't play Super Mario Bros and Sonic at the same time" argument.

Please please please tell me this doesn't mean some awful Torchlight Diablo Olympics game will soon be in the works!

I believe Runic has generated enough good will, recognition with its target audience and a good price point that Diablo 3 will not have a catastrophic effect on TL2 sales. In honesty I like the fact that TL2 isn't(most likely) going to have the whole industry release only parade where basically all the sales happen in the first 3-4 weeks and then no one buys it or ever talks about it ever again. It would be interesting to see the rate of sales of the original Torchlight as I seem to recall various stories about its sales well after release(even up to a year afterwards, almost no game is talked about like that!).

Will Torchlight 2 make oodles of money so each member of Runic will have a personal Scrooge McDuck money swimming pool? Most likely not. Will it be exceptionally profitable and fund future Runic endeavors, pretty damn sure.

[Irony]

YOU CAN ONLY BUY ONE!

But on a serious note :p

I get what OP is saying, but I think Torchlight II will do fine.

I mean It kind of bugs me that Diablo III MIGHT be released before Torchlight II
but come on. Its a 20 dollar game with more content then the first one. I'm sure it'll
do just fine.

[Morbus]

It has been pointed out: D3 and TL2 are two different games. D3 out first will get many people in the mood for a Hack And Slash game. When they encounter Blizzard's restrictions, they will look elsewhere for a game of this genre. Nothing to worry about.

[Zidders]

Spoiler: show

There can be only one!

Spoiler: show

er...wait..so, there can be only two?
Wait...http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Intruder ... 26716.html
So, there can be only three?
...well, that totally beborks that saying, doesn't it?

If multiple highlander movies can exist, I'm pretty sure both games can coexist. I'm also pretty sure neither is in any danger of beheading the other.

[EdgeDamodred]

Well if we're going by Highlander then there can only be x until we run out of scripts for episodes and then there may or may not be one until another spinoff or remake down the road happens.

[Morbus]

No, there can be only one: You can only play one character while you play.

[JediFreeman]

It is important to remember that Diablo 3 has been in development for TWELVE YEARS.

Regardless of when it releases in relation to our release date... I am sure they will feel good about finally being able to say they are done.

[SixshotOverdrive]

Well if we're going by Highlander then there can only be x until we run out of scripts for episodes and then there may or may not be one until another spinoff or remake down the road happens.

I'm pretty sure they ran out of scripts after the first movie

But if we're going with the highlander theme. Torchlight will kill Diablo in end game.

[Brixtan]

It is important to remember that Diablo 3 has been in development for TWELVE YEARS.

Regardless of when it releases in relation to our release date... I am sure they will feel good about finally being able to say they are done.

Lol, exactly! Hard to imagine that I was a sophmore in college when D2 initially launched....seeems soooooooooooooo long ago

[Ager]

Wait. So I can't buy both games?

No, and neither can anyone else. This is the 2012 equivalent to the "You can't play Super Mario Bros and Sonic at the same time" argument.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

I'll keep posting this until it gets funny or until people stop bringing up the "D3 VS TL2" discussion.

[mrpinsky]

As it is now , launching game as same time as D3 is same as making concert of your Heavy metal band in same night Metallica is playing in town...
You are going to get handful of groupies and thats all...

You are forgetting that a concert is over after two hours, but a game can be played whenever you want for the rest of your life (or in the case of D3, until Blizz shuts down the servers, lol), so they are not mutually exclusive.

Personally, I think that going head to head with D3 may actually be a good thing from a PR point of view. Already, Torchlight is brought up a lot whenever D3 is discussed, and by releasing at the same time frame they can 'piggy back' some more with regards to media attention: Every article about D3 is bound to mention the comparison to Torchlight and how the two differ. This will help to spread the news about T2, and guess what, gamers who are reading about D3 just might be the kind of people who like T2, as well. I'm not sure if Runic is doing it on purpose, but it may turn out to be a good thing for them in the end.

[Brixtan]

As it is now , launching game as same time as D3 is same as making concert of your Heavy metal band in same night Metallica is playing in town...
You are going to get handful of groupies and thats all...

You are forgetting that a concert is over after two hours, but a game can be played whenever you want for the rest of your life (or in the case of D3, until Blizz shuts down the servers, lol), so they are not mutually exclusive.

Personally, I think that going head to head with D3 may actually be a good thing from a PR point of view. Already, Torchlight is brought up a lot whenever D3 is discussed, and by releasing at the same time frame they can 'piggy back' some more with regards to media attention: Every article about D3 is bound to mention the comparison to Torchlight and how the two differ. This will help to spread the news about T2, and guess what, gamers who are reading about D3 just might be the kind of people who like T2, as well. I'm not sure if Runic is doing it on purpose, but it may turn out to be a good thing for them in the end.

The fact that Torchlight sold well in excess of a million copies, was featured as one of the best DLC games on XBOX LIVE when it launched last year, won numerous accolades and awards, speaks volumes for the game itself. All the fans trying to give Runic Games advice about when is a best time to launch their sequel is foolish. They are very well aware of the realities of the gaming world, and as it's been said repeatedly by both them in numerous podcasts (here's the most recent one) over the years, they're not worried nor do they spend any time thinking about it. They'll release TL2 when it's finished.

I think it's pretty obnoxious for fans to try and give a game developer advice on what's in their best interest for launching TL2. Keep your armchair quarterbacking for the football teams folks and let the game developers figure out what's in their best interest for deciding on a launch window for their game.

[Ingmartin]

Yes, Blizzard has had 12 years to make their game, and Runic should be proud of the fact that they can make as exciting a game as Diablo in two years time instead.

But Blizzard has also has 12 years of buzz to build. When it does release, every serious gamer will be peeing themselves, and even casual gamers will be interested.

Since Runic is a relative newcomer I just think it would make more sense to NOT put your game out within a month or two of a gaming behemoth like Blizzard, considering it is far more likely to be overshadowed and be considered "oh, and Torchlight 2 is also available if anyone cares" in the media and press world.

Because once Diablo is let out of hell again...no one will be talking about ANYTHING else for months afterward.
While I am more excited for TL2 than D3 personally, I am in a pretty small minority.

I am not a marketing strategist but since they likely won't be getting TL2 out before D3, then I think I would be the most profitable and most advantageous to give it a six month time berth. Then they can REALLY spit polish the game until it shines like the top of Tele Sevales' head (RIP).

Oh, and Brix...I am armchair quarterbacking, so say what you must, but I WANT to discuss the release as it relates to Diablo 3. I know that the devs have said they aren't concerned about Blizzard or what they are doing with their game, but don't buy it hook line and sinker either.

Why would a dev EVER show any sweat on their brow? It isn't wise to say you are worried about another company's game, because it makes you look like you aren't all that impressed with your own product and have a reason to be worried. They ARE thinking about Diablo 3 daily, discussing it, worrying about it, all of the above. But they want us to be confident in TL2 so they say "not worried, not concerned, don't care" because it's what any normal business would do, but especially when a parent company is funding your little endeavor. That's a quick way to be out of a job.

[Dusho]

I believe I'm a casual gamer, I don't play that much and I really pick the games I want to spend my free time with. Often I get the feeling that 'ok.. I played strategy for last month, it's time to switch genre'.. and same with FPS, RPG, hack&slash.. so if those other casual gamers think a bit like me, then having 2 ARPGs released close to each other really isn't such a great thing. Once the 'thirst' for game is quenched, it takes some time get a new one...
When D3 is out sooner, then I would expect TL2 taking some more time for polish..
Even developers said that they will be busy playing D3 when it's out, so maybe TL2 delay will come naturally...

[Perictione]

It is important to remember that Diablo 3 has been in development for TWELVE YEARS. Regardless of when it releases in relation to our release date... I am sure they will feel good about finally being able to say they are done.

Stomper has pretty much said it all, I feel.

But I also feel the future belongs to Runic, whereas Blizzard's best days are now in the past. I could be right; I could be wrong. Only the passage of time will determine this for certain.

All the same, I'll still be playing 'Torchlight' and 'Torchlight 2' long after 'Diablo 3' has gone the way of 'Pong.'


- P.

[Brixtan]

Even developers said that they will be busy playing D3 when it's out, so maybe TL2 delay will come naturally...

Oh noes! I hope not!

@Peri: Me too, me too

[Mivo]

Well, I used to worry about this too, then I took an arrow... wait, that's too old now!

Seriously, I don't think it matters much. For Torchlight 2 it may be more beneficial to come out after D3, six or eight weeks, or it might have been better to release it last month, or it may not have a major impact anyway. All theory is grey. People who like the genre will buy both anyway (we get so few decent ARPGs, why is it bad to get two in the same year?), and I don't think there are a substantial number of people who eagerly awaited TL2 but magically now won't buy it at release only because D3 comes out a few weeks (or whatever) before. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. No doubt there are some folks who think that way (or claim that they do), but I feel that that would be off-set by people who enjoy(ed) D3 and then ask or look around for what other games are "like it". What people see as competition might well be beneficial for both games, in the long run.

Personally, I'll play both. I pre-ordered D3 when it was possible to do so, and I'll pre-order TL2 the very moment it becomes an option. And as with TL1, I'm likely to buy two copies, one on Steam, one directly from Runic.

[amb2010]

Was I the only one that laughed at how much the "Diablo"-side of that poster has changed?

Games are games, people will play them at one point or the other regardless of who or what they release near.

[TLF]

Hi everyone!

After spending some time doing other things I think it's time to have a look around here as well.

The sales will talk the rest...

Okay, after just lurking more than 2 weeks in the german D3-forums, this quote makes me yawn (no offense, just couldn't resist). First I can say the 17th of April has already been denied shortly after the date was set - so there is no source anymore to back up this information. If I am wrong, I'd like to get the source from you Thank you in advance!

And about the sales: many many many German gamers are very upset about Blizzard's communication policy. They also are angry about the disposition of the beta keys between NA and EU (this isn't a problem to me at all). Very few gamers mention they will buy TL2, too ... stop, let me think for a moment - in which age exactly people have hunted witches to burn them? Yes, they are treated like lepers. The self-adulation of German D3-fanboys is very high, much higher than the smallest fanboy-comment for TL2. Personally I think, the amount of D3-fans who will also buy TL2 is much bigger than they want to admit. Understandable!

I'm sure Blizzard will sell more games than Runic within the first weeks/month, but this isn't a question of "company status" or "hack'n'slay in general" anymore. There are two more important components which will decide about the sales: the "longevity" of a game (factor of replay) and the "contentment" of the community (mood).

Just my 2 cents on this topic, thank you for reading.