More Diablo III – Offline play coming to console port

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We already know there won’t be any cross-play for the PC and Console versions of Diablo III, news which saddens me greatly. However, that’s not the only buzz surrounding the popular PC to console port.

It’s been revealed that the console version of Diablo III will not require an “always online” connection to play. Of course, in standard fashion when anything is announced for Diablo III, the official forums are in uproar. The console version will support up to 4 player “couch” co-op, online co-op, and a fully offline mode. I assume the reasoning behind this is because there are a number of console owners that don’t have internet connections for them, and the fact that piracy and hacking is far less common in the console community. On top of that, there are general guidelines that make hacking and piracy a very bad idea in the console market, usually in the form of banning all online play through that console or account for all games. This is usually handled by the online agreement created by the console manufacturer, and can easily be enforced by them.

Sadly, this type of security measure is not available for PCs, thus the reasoning for always online DRM methods. This ensures data is sent to the developers who monitor for suspicious activity, who then enforce their rules their own way. Unfortunately banning someone from a single game isn’t much of a punishment, when a PC can easily find a work around to grant access to the game once again.

It’s not perfect, and there is evidence of hacking and piracy, but it’s one of the best ways to combat piracy on PCs. Blizzard has not made any statements on bringing the offline mode to PCs and many players have stated that they will be quitting Diablo III, and boycotting Blizzard games as a whole, unless this is changed. Personally, I wouldn’t hold my breath for this change to come. It just makes more sense not to. There has also been no word on the console version of Diablo III supporting Drop-in/Drop-out multi-player, much like how it is on PCs and in Borderlands 1 and 2.

Are you peeved at the inclusion of an offline mode for the console port, and not the PC version? Or do you not care because you never made and played a character that wasn’t running on the Battle.net serves anyway? You know, like everyone should have been doing anyway. . . Tell us what you think in the comments below. Be sure to check One-Quest for any new information on Diablo III and it’s future console port!

Eric is not a boss. You can Email Eric or follow Eric on Twitter @EricSweeten or Facebook

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