I felt very compelled to create this petition in response to the recent and very vocal requests from some members of the Diablo fans community who are, in a word, 'disappointed' with Diablo 3's current artistic direction.

This petition is created to represent those of us, whom I feel are great in number, who genuinely believe that Blizzard should continue to do what they are doing with Diablo 3's art direction and not bend to the wishes of those who would wish to see Diablo 3's beauty and vibrancy reduced to shades of gray and brown.

Likewise, I feel compelled to state that we the players very much enjoy the stylistic and silhouette-heavy art of Diablo 3, because it lends much character to the game and allows us, the players, to be able to make out distinct qualities of each individual character and monster within the game.

Many of those who complain forget that Diablo and Diablo 2 were not without color. The vast majority of the game consisted of rich colors that allowed the darker areas, such as the Durance of Hate in Act 3 of Diablo 2 to stand out as one of the more 'Gothic horror' locations, in contrast the verdant jungles of Kurast. Spells were extremely colorful, and many of the game's unique locales were undeniably vibrant.

The current art direction within the game, as depicted in the trailers is completely immersive due to its distinct shapes, and the tones and vibrancy of its colors lend a truly 'epic', and 'fantasy' feel to the game expanding an already wonderful setting. To see all of this changed would be a great shame to a great many of us.

There are a great many of us out there who are disappointed in the complete lack of vibrance and the abundance of boring shades of gray and brown in many recent titles, and it is a breath of fresh air for us to see Blizzard's art direction with Diablo 3.

We therefore ask Blizzard to keep doing what it's doing, and retain the game's current art and style direction. We have the full measure of faith in Blizzard to deliver a fantastic game with fantastic art direction, in every sense of the term 'fantastic'.



Common arguments:

Q: The Diablo series was always dark, gloomy, muddy and dirty in every single instance.

A: Hyperbole. While Diablo 1 may have been darker than its sequel due to its lack of locations, it nonetheless featured some very bright, and visually vibrant locations like Tristram itself and the Caves.

Diablo 2 had many bright and vibrant locations in every single Act of the game. Act 1 had a gothic monastery with vibrant colors. Act 2 consisted of a brightly lit desert with an abundance of cacti, Act 3 had colorful jungles and vibrant step-pyramid tombs. Act 5 had crystalline formations and rivers of ice.



Q: Being colorful destroys the game's immersion and 'gothic feel'.

A: Gothic Cathedrals are filled with vibrant colors, due to the heavy use of stained glass windows and vibrant furnishings, yet still possess a very 'dark' and surreal quality. Colors are only one aspect of the mix. Gothic horror movies make heavy use of rich twilight gradients and colorful clothing on everyone who isn't a vampire.



Diablo 3's Art is currently:

* Stylish, giving Diablo 3 its own character and personality, allowing it to stand out from the crowd of brown and grey games, or 'realistic' (e.g. boring) looking games.
* Hand-crafted, and lovingly so. Much like Josh Kirby's art in the covers of the Discworld novels, it elicits a highly 'fantasy feel' that feels like a breath of fresh air.
* Not monotonous. The use of inviting colours, contours, tones, vibrance, and animations are some of the game's major strengths. Makes the game accessible and playable for a long period of time.
* The use of colors allow for a wide variety of settings and locations, away from the mundane worlds of greys and browns.
* Vibrant colors and a wide variety of locations do not prohibit the game from having 'dark gothic' locations within the game. Diablo 2 consisted mainly of vibrant locations, but that didn't prevent the Durance of Hate from being a part of the game.



It is our opinion, therefore, that the art direction of Diablo 3 should remain as it is, because we have full faith and confidence in Blizzard Entertainment's ability to deliver a truly compelling, and involving game.