It's been a hot minute since we've had some Diablo 4 news – three months in fact. But the devs are back with a quarterly update and a fresh batch of screenshots.
The takeaway from the latest blog post is that Diablo 4 's aesthetic is going hard on "dark, low-fantasy gothic horror." Game director Joe Shely (who replaced Luis Barriga ) is keen to show the team's progress on nailing the themes, which gives the game its "distinct visual style."
Art director Chris Ryder explains that the key to creating immersive environments lies in the two foundational pillars "old masters" and "a return to darkness." Heavy on the darkness, it seems, because I'm struggling to make anything out in some of these screenshots without fiddling with my screen brightness. Or squinting really hard.
"Using these pillars has been instrumental in keeping us consistent and aligned with the visual tone of Diablo 4," says Ryder.
"The 'old masters' pillar gives us a lens to filter our art through, considering the techniques classical painters like Rembrandt used, with their controlled use of detail, tonal range, and expert use of color palettes.
"The 'return to darkness' pillar is a through-line in everything from dungeons to lighting and embodies the idea that Sanctuary is a dangerous and dark medieval gothic world."
The environments of Diablo 4 are described as a "darker and more grounded interpretation" than earlier entries in the series. Although the team makes it clear that this is achieved through believability over realism.
This is relayed through the game's architecture, artifacts found in dungeons, and the open world itself. Regional weather conditions and biomes build on these features, which are all firmly rooted in the "sense of history" that the medieval world of Sanctuary brings with it.
While it may look like the lighting director has taken inspiration from Game of Thrones' The Long Night, not every area of Sanctuary is mired in darkness. Lighting plays a huge role in the game, and is crucial in hitting the tone that supports the ’return to darkness’ pillar.
"As you explore Diablo 4’s open-world you’ll experience a lot of variation in the lighting and weather," says associate Lighting Director Ben Hutchings. "In the Scosglen coast, you can see the foggy, frigid atmosphere taking cues from highlands and moors.
"Across the game we’re striving for a grounded and natural palette, allowing us to create visual space for gameplay that also achieves a gritty tone suiting the world of Sanctuary."
Elsewhere in the game, in the settlement of Kyovoshad, Hutchings explains how "the use of fog, soft shadows, and bounce lighting" are used to "create a softness to the lighting.
"This softness is a core part of Diablo 4’s lighting aesthetic – providing a natural and grounded frame. We aim to give Kyovoshad a thick and lived-in atmosphere with warm and earthy tones, giving it a sense of reprieve from Fractured Peaks cooler, frigid palette."
Diablo 4 will showcase a shared open-world with five distinct areas to explore and plunder. As well as the lighting and aesthetic, interactable and breakable props lend themselves to making the world believable; after all, what kind of adventurer can get through a village without smashing up a few pots, at the minimum?
With over 150 randomized dungeons, and a living world to explore, we can't wait to get stuck in. Unfortunately, we're looking at 2023 at the earliest , so these screenshots will have to tide you over until the next update.
Apple Wallet adds a driver's license feature for some users in the US
Apple Wallet is becoming even more like the real thing thanks to an update that will let you digitally store and use your driver’s license and state ID from the app… if you live in Arizona.
Starting today, Arizona residents will be able to add these documents to Wallet and can pass through select TSA security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just by scanning their iPhone or Apple Watch .
While Arizona is the first to introduce the change, users in Georgia, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and Puerto Rico will soon be able to take advantage of the same benefits, as well.
If you’re planning to fly domestically from Arizona (or one of these states after they introduce the change) adding your ID to Apple Wallet is super simple. All you need to do is head to the Wallet app, tap on the + button, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and then follow the instructions on your device and complete the verification process.
You’ll also need an Apple iPhone 8 or later running at least iOS 15.4 or an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running at least watchOS 8.4 in order to add and use your ID.
Right now the use case is limited. If you don’t fly domestically in the US, there’s no point storing your ID or driver's license in Apple Wallet.
Even if you do, the number of states and airports supporting the feature is also pretty low. Unless you’re a frequent flyer, you might not get a chance to try this feature out for a while.
That said, support could rapidly expand as Apple’s approach opens up avenues for users to confirm who they are while also keeping some personal information private. For example, if you want to get past the bouncer at a night club they don’t need to know your name, sex, or the state you got your license, they just need to have your picture and age.
Apple Wallet would only share the relevant info with the check-in point, leaving other details out.
It might also provide a more accurate way to check ages and people’s identities in digital interactions. One day, iTunes could check your Wallet ID before letting you download explicit songs or R-rated movies.
Of course, this speculation assumes most people are even comfortable keeping this kind of data in their phones, at all.
Given the level of security measures that are packed into smartphones nowadays, it’s probably safer than carrying around a physical card in your wallet. However, for those that are already cautious when storing payment information in Wallet, adding their ID could be a step too far.
We’ll have to wait to add see if the feature becomes more than a rarely used albeit nifty iPhone ability. Many might not have thought Apple Pay would take off and now it’s accepted at stores across the entire globe. Maybe Apple Wallet IDs will one day be just as popular.
Xbox Game Pass is getting more Ubisoft games, starting with a classic
The next slate of Xbox Game Pass titles has been revealed, alongside the announcement that Microsoft will be adding plenty more Ubisoft games to the subscription service, starting with Assassin’s Creed Origins and For Honor: Marching Fire Edition.
According to Microsoft, both games will be added to Xbox Game Pass over the next two months – so by the end of June. Assassin’s Creed Origins will be available to play on console, Xbox Cloud Gaming , and PC via the Ubisoft Connect app.
The For Honor base game, which is already available on Game Pass, will receive a Marching Fire upgrade option, letting anyone who’s already played it through the subscription service on console or via the cloud upgrade for free. It will also be available on PC via Ubisoft Connect.
Microsoft is pitching the add-ons as the start of an expanded partnership with Ubisoft. In a blog post , Xbox Game Pass community lead Megan Spurr said they were “excited to share that we’re working with Ubisoft to bring even more incredible games to the Game Pass library”, and we should expect “more Ubisoft Games coming to Game Pass” in the future.
That follows a trend started earlier this year, when Ubisoft released Rainbow Six Extraction on Game Pass the same day it launched. Placing a much-anticipated, triple-A multiplayer shooter like that on Xbox’s subscription service from day one was a strong indication the companies were growing closer.
As they extend their partnership, we can expect more Ubisoft games to be added to the subscription service. Those will likely include legacy titles, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla , and other Ubisoft series, including Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell .
It could also mean that more forthcoming titles will hit the service the same day they launch, just as Extraction did. That would be a big win for players, who would get to play the latest triple-A Ubisoft releases using their Game Pass subscription. But it would also be a major boon for Xbox, which will be looking to shore up the value of Game Pass in response to Sony’s recently unveiled competitor, PS Plus .
So far, Game Pass has one clear edge over PS Plus: day-one releases of Microsoft’s first-party games. If it can add Ubisoft titles into that mix, PS Plus will lag only further behind.
Elsewhere in the blog post, the next slate of Game Pass games was announced. They include:
That’s a fairly generous mix of genres, spanning racing, horror, and family-friendly platforming.