During last week's Gamescom presentation of Diablo IV's upcoming Season of Blood (due October 17), Rod Fergusson—general manager of the franchise—announced that the game's user base had surpassed 12 million. He also proudly declared that the active population has spent around 1.3 billion hours playing the extremely popular, and evidently highly addictive, action RPG. Number crunchers estimate that this works out as 100+ hours (on average) per player. Blizzard Entertainment and Activision have chosen to not release official sales figures for Diablo IV, but Fergusson's disclosure provides us with a rough picture of how well the game has sold since launching on June 5 across multiple platforms. It should be noted that the fourth entry in the long-running series has not been released via game subscription platforms.

Blizzard Entertainment has started teasing the second season of new content: "At the behest of their dark master, a newly turned army of ravenous vampires has set their sights on Sanctuary. The master's sinister plot remains a shrouded mystery but their pursuit for the blood of innocents has caused an uproar. You must learn to hunt the hunter—your fate depends on it. Season of Blood will introduce a new Questline for you to uncover, Vampiric Powers to wield against their originators, 5 additional endgame bosses with the ability to target specific Unique and Uber Unique items as a drop, and more."

Blizzard has officially announced the second season for Diablo IV, called Season of Blood. The Season of Blood will launch on October 17 and bring several updates, including a new questline, five additional endgame bosses, as well as some comunity-requested quality-of-life updates.

The announcement came at the Gamescom Opening Night Live, together with the new announce trailer, showing some of the updates. The trailer also introduces Erys, a vampire hunter that will be voiced by Gemma Chan.

Blizzard has revealed full Diablo VI Patch 1.1.1 details although it won't be available until August 8th. The new patch mostly focuses on class balance changes and other various gameplay updates, but it does also bring some bug fixes as well.

The biggest improvements come to Sorcerers and Barbarians classes, with improved survivability for Sorcerers class and increased Fury generation on Basic Skills and increased power of Unique items for Barbarians. The patch also diversify the use cases for Legendary items and strengthen builds that aren't reaching a high power level. The full patch notes also include detailed adjustments for Rogue, Druid, and Necromancer classes as well. There is also an extensive list of gameplay updates which brings better rewards, but also higher health levels of bosses. There are plenty of other bug fixes and this patch comes to all platforms.

Season of the Malignant is upon us, wanderer! The first Season of Diablo IV begins on July 20 at 10 a.m. PDT. Keep Sanctuary safe from a growing infestation by harnessing the potency of Malignant Hearts and unleashing the power within. To prepare you for the noxious threats that await, we've dredged up more details on Season of the Malignant below.

INVESTIGATE THE MALIGNANCE WITH CORMOND IN A NEW QUEST
A deviant form of Lilith's sinister machinations has given birth to a new threat, Malignant Monsters. These decaying abominations roam Sanctuary in a frenzy, mindlessly attacking anyone in range. Distraught and in panic without the Church of Light's guidance, the denizens of Sanctuary have turned to new sources for hope. Wanderers will investigate this mysterious malady in a new Questline with the help of Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, who trains you to capture the Malignant Hearts fueling these foul beasts and convert them into build-altering powers. The malignancy that's taken hold cannot remain unchecked—you must snuff it out at the source before all of Sanctuary becomes subject to its corruption. To embark on the new Burning from Within questline, you'll need to have already completed the campaign on the Eternal Realm, or do so during the Season on the Seasonal Realm with at least one character. Once you're ready to take on Sanctuary's newest threat, head over to Kyovashad to begin your journey with Cormond.

Well met, wanderer...corruption has befallen Sanctuary in Season of the Malignant, the first Season of Diablo IV. On July 20 at 10 a.m. PDT, a new Season Journey, Questline, Boss, Dungeons, Battle Pass, and more will go live—we'll give you a preview below. On July 18, we'll release another article shedding even more light on what's coming with the new Season, including 6 new Unique Items and 7 Legendary Aspects.

SEASON OF THE MALIGNANT THEME
A deviant form of Lilith's sinister machinations has given birth to a new threat, Malignant Monsters. These decaying abominations roam Sanctuary in a frenzy, mindlessly attacking anyone in range without hesitation. Wanderers will investigate this mysterious malady in a new Questline with the help of Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, who also trains you to capture the Malignant Hearts fueling these foul beasts and convert them into build-altering powers. The malignancy that's taken hold of the Burning Hells' armies cannot remain unchecked—you must snuff it out at the source before all of Sanctuary becomes its thrall.

Every week, we bring you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. This week, Jagged Alliance 3 and Testament: The Order of High Human launch with support for DLSS 2; SlavicPunk: Oldtimer and DESORDRE: A Puzzle Game Adventure are available now with DLSS 2, and Dying Light 2 Stay Human's Good Night, Good Luck update is available with DLSS 3. To cap it all off, Blizzard has announced the details of Diablo IV's Season of the Malignant! Read on to learn more.

Diablo IV: Season of the Malignant Starts July 20th
Get ready to continue your journey through Sanctuary in Diablo IV with Season of the Malignant on July 20th. A new form of Lilith's corruption has spread throughout Sanctuary, creating Malignant Monsters and opportunities for players to create powerful new builds. Partner with Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, in a new questline to stop the spread of these Malignant Monsters, collect new items and earn rewards.

Blizzard Entertainment has once again refuted claims that their blockbuster (online only) action role-playing game, Diablo IV, is coming to Xbox Game Pass at some point in the future. PicPay, a Brazilian payment app, has been displaying adverts presenting Blizzard's latest ARPG as a current prospect on the Microsoft game subscription service. Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra was quick to shoot down this rumor as it hit news site—in a reply to Game Pass Tracker (on Twitter) he succinctly stated: "This is not happening." A couple of media outlets are now reporting that the Diablo IV advertising banners have been removed from the PicPay app.

Ybarra's career includes a twenty year stint at Microsoft—he was Corporate Vice President of Gaming prior to joining Blizzard Entertainment back in 2021. His former colleague—Xbox boss Phil Spencer—made clear (last September) his company's ambitions for several Acti-Blizz franchises, under conditions of a successful acquisition of the publishing group: "We intend to make Activision Blizzard's much-loved library of games - including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty - available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities." Microsoft is inching closer to finalizing the proposed merger, so it will be interesting to see whether Blizzard will break with tradition when the new management steps in.

Blizzard has released the Patch 1.0.3 for Diablo IV fixing various bugs and issues as well as brings balance tweaks for all classes and other game improvements. As expected, Battlenet will automatically download the 200 MB update next time you launch the client.

According to the rather extensive changelog, the Patch 1.0.3 fixes various dungeons, events, activities, gameplay, local co-op, quests, UI, and other miscellaneous issues. When it comes to specific and important fixes, Blizzard has boosted XP award after completing Nightmare Dungeons, as well as Helltide events. Bosses in Helltide also drop higher quality loot, and The Tree of Whispers also gives higher XP rewards. Blizzard has also increased skill boosts for each of classes, and some balance tweaks.

Diablo IV had the best-selling opening in Blizzard's history, crossing an auspicious $666 million in global sell-through in the first five days following its June 6 launch. The latest installment for the Diablo series, and Blizzard's fastest-selling game ever, is the box-office equivalent of the biggest opening week of the year. The heroes of Sanctuary, the world in which Diablo is set, have already played more than 276 million hours, or more than 30,000 years.

"On behalf of Blizzard, we want to thank the millions of players around the world who are immersing themselves in Diablo IV," said Mike Ybarra, President of Blizzard Entertainment. "Diablo IV is a result of our incredible teams working together to craft and support genre-defining games, build legendary worlds, and inspire memories that will last a lifetime. We're humbled by the response, proud of the team, and remain committed to listening to our players and ensuring Diablo continues to exceed expectations for years to come."

Intel Arc graphics have dedicated AI hardware built-in. Leveraging those capabilities for gaming gets the most performance possible out of Arc GPUs, and that's exactly what Xe Super Sampling does. Let's look closer: when you turn on XeSS, every frame the GPU renders starts at a lower size than your target resolution. That smaller image renders quickly, then XeSS steps in. XeSS uses a trained AI model combined with motion vectors and frame history to intelligently upscale frames to full HD, 1440p, or 4K. Got all that? The sausage-making can get pretty technical, but the important thing is turning XeSS on scales games to high resolutions faster than traditional rendering could.

FPS numbers aren't the only thing we're increasing: over fifty games now include XeSS, from the biggest franchises to your niche favorites. When we launched the Intel Arc A750 and A770, we showed how XeSS works to boost FPS in nine popular games with over a dozen more on the way. Now with our high-performance desktop GPUs out for half a year, our game developer friends have helped deliver even more AI-fueled upscaling to over fifty new and existing games. A full list of every game and demo with XeSS included is at the bottom of this article.

Diablo IV, the highly anticipated new installment of the iconic Diablo series, is now live. Already, it is Blizzard Entertainment's fastest-selling game of all time, with Blizzard's highest pre-launch unit sales ever on both console and PC. In the four days since early access started on June 1, Diablo IV has been played for 93 million hours, or over 10,000 years - the equivalent playing 24 hours a day since the beginning of human civilization. Diablo IV features cross-platform play and cross-progression on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, plus up to four player co-op, including two player couch co-op on consoles.

"This is a moment years in the making for the Diablo IV team," said Rod Fergusson, general manager of Diablo. "We're extremely proud to offer players the richest story ever told in a Diablo game. Players have a range of choices, including personal character customization, equipping personalized skills for battling horrific demons, or collecting Legendary loot to support your playstyle while discovering new ones. Since the game was first announced in 2019, the support from millions of players around the world drove us toward this release of our dark vision of Sanctuary. Hail Lilith, Blessed Mother."

Each week, we're bringing you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week at COMPUTEX 2023, we announced that Ash Echoes, Honor of Kings: World, and Legend of Ymir will all launch with DLSS 3, and Party Animals with DLSS 2. And we celebrated the Early Access DLSS 3-enhanced release of Diablo IV, and the launch of System Shock with DLSS 2.

This week, Diablo IV launches for everyone worldwide, Tower of Fantasy has updated to DLSS 3, and Sony announced the July 26th release of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which will include DLSS 3, ray tracing, Reflex, and DLAA. Additionally, DLSS 2 is now available in Alone In The Dark Prologue, WILD HEARTS, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, enabling GeForce RTX gamers to get the best possible performance and image quality in even more games.

The Diablo franchise's general manager Rod Fergusson appeared on the Kinda Funny Xcast last week, only a few days before the fourth game's full launch - episode 140's interview segment focused on Blizzard's final preparations and post-game content (seasonal and possible DLC) calendar. Fergusson indicated that his team was very busy and will have more work to do: "As I sit here we're about to launch the main game, we're finishing up season one, we're working on season two, we're working on expansion one, we're kicking off expansion two…we're working on that now and we haven't even launched the game."

Blizzard Entertainment received much criticism for its slow and sparse trickle out of seasonal material for Diablo III, and Fergusson is keen to not repeat similar post-launch patterns with the latest entry in a very long running series (the first game debuted back in January 1997!). Diablo IV has been built with a live-service format in mind - thus allowing for greater and more substantial content to be delivered over seasonal time periods. Blizzard is likely aiming to compete with the likes of Bungie (Destiny 2) in terms of keeping an online game alive for a while - Fergusson outlines a key goal for his team: "We're going to be supporting Diablo 4 for years to come - (with) very rich seasons, much richer than we had in Diablo 3."

AMD has recently released the latest version of its Adrenalin graphics drivers. The headline piece of information from their release notes is the introduction of support for the retail version of Diablo IV - due for a full worldwide launch tomorrow. AMD has introduced new performance optimizations for Microsoft Olive DirectML pipeline for Stable Diffusion 1.5 on AMD Radeon RX 7900 series graphics - they claim that this improvement will boost performance by an average of twofold over the previous software driver version (23.5.1).

Team Red has not provided a list of new fixes for Adrenalin 23.5.2 WHQL, but they do note several known/existing issues - including a situation where high idle power has been experienced by users (on occasion) who have selected high-resolution and high refresh rate displays on Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. Owners of the same GPU series have also reported of suboptimal performance or occasional stuttering in certain virtual reality games or applications. RuneScape players have intermittently encountered application crashes on some AMD Graphics Products (an example being the Radeon RX 5700 XT). A number of DaVinci Resolve Studio users have reported crashes and driver timeouts during playback of AV1 video content. Finally intermittent corruption may be discovered after switching windows during Nioh 2 game sessions on some AMD graphics cards, including the Radeon RX 6800 XT.DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 23.5.2 WHQL

As we enter summer, a blizzard from hell is this week's AAA title, a game some of you might already be playing, due to the limited editions coming with early access. Luckily, that's not all we have for you this week, as we also have thunderous gods, side scrollers, lots of horror and some harmony for you. Don't forget to go out in the sunshine and do something in the real world too, summer won't last forever.

Diablo IV / This week's AAA title / Tuesday 6 June
The endless battle between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells rages on as chaos threatens to consume Sanctuary. With ceaseless demons to slaughter, countless Abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and Legendary loot, this vast, open world brings the promise of adventure and devastation. Survive and conquer darkness—or succumb to the shadows.

Each week, we're bringing you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launched with DLSS 3 and ray tracing, and more DLSS 2 games were released. This week, at COMPUTEX 2023, we've announced that Ash Echoes, Honor of Kings: World, and Legend of Ymir will all launch with DLSS 3, and Party Animals with DLSS 2. And we're celebrating the release of Diablo IV with DLSS 3, and System Shock with DLSS 2.

NVIDIA DLSS Now Available In Over 300 Released Games and Apps
NVIDIA DLSS uses AI and GeForce RTX Tensor Cores to boost frame rates while maintaining great image quality. With DLSS 3, AI-powered frame generation creates new, high-quality frames for smoother gameplay. Combined with our Super Resolution technology, DLSS 3 can render seven out of every eight pixels in a scene with AI. Adoption continues to accelerate and NVIDIA DLSS is now delivering AI-accelerated performance in over 300 games and applications.

Our newest driver is Game Ready for the long awaited, much anticipated Diablo IV, which launches June 6th with day-1 support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 and NVIDIA Reflex. And we're also Game Ready for the DLSS 2-enhanced remake of System Shock. To download and install, head to the Drivers tab of GeForce Experience or GeForce.com, and read on for further details.

Game Ready For Diablo IV
The demon Lilith and the angel Inarius united to create the world of Sanctuary in their desire to escape the Eternal Conflict between the High Heavens and Burning Hells. But now, decades after the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, they are bitter enemies who have resorted to war against each other with their respective followers. The lands of Sanctuary have become plagued with ceaseless demons, and only the most steadfast of heroes will be able to hold strong in the face of darkness in Diablo IV.

NVIDIA has today released the latest iteration of its GeForce Game Ready drivers - Version 535.98 WHQL. This latest update provides optimizations in advance for the launch of Blizzard's long awaited and much anticipated new entry in the Diablo series - IV launches on June 6th with day one support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 and NVIDIA Reflex. Today's release of Nightdive's System Shock Remake is also catered for in the shape of DLSS 2 enhancements. Today's patch notes indicate that a general gaming bug fix addresses reports of GeForce Experience Freestyle filters causing in-game crashes. General amendments include the prevention of brief monitor flickering following waking from display sleep mode with DSR/DLDSR enabled, and visual glitches encountered in productivity software (SOLIDWORKS 2023, MAGIX Vegas Pro 7 & more). Owners of GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs will not be happy to find out that a sky flickering issue encountered in Watch Dogs 2 is not yet fixed - this remains an open issue.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 535.98 WHQL

NVIDIA Reflex is a must-have in games, reducing system latency so your actions occur quicker, giving you a competitive edge in multiplayer matches, and making single-player titles more responsive and enjoyable. NVIDIA Reflex is now used by over 50 million players each month, is available in 9 of the top 10 competitive shooters, including the Counter-Strike 2 beta, and is activated by 90% of GeForce gamers in 70+ supported titles. Recent recipients of Reflex include Redfall, Returnal, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Next month, Reflex will be available at launch in Diablo IV, and is coming to Metal: Hellsinger by way of a game update.

NVIDIA Reflex also encompasses optimized mice and monitors, which contribute to your overall system latency. By working with manufacturers we have built reporting capabilities into products, enabling GeForce gamers to measure their end-to-end system latency, seeing where their system may be holding them back. Additionally, four new GIGABYTE AORUS mice have added support for Reflex, along with a new LG UltraGear gaming monitor.

Welcome, adventurer. On June 2, the fiery pits of Hell will rejoice - Diablo Immortal turns one! This milestone could not have been achieved without your continuous support, and to honor you, we have a bloody wave of new additions hitting the shores of Sanctuary over the next two months. It's time to gaze into the flames and provide a bird's-eye view of the upcoming Diablo IV Launch Celebration x Diablo Immortal event and Lilith-themed Cosmetics, new Zone, and new Class.

DIABLO IV LAUNCH CELEBRATION X DIABLO IMMORTAL
The creation of Sanctuary by Inarius and Lilith is a storied tale; its impact can still be felt today. The Merciless Monstrosity event, Children of Lilith Battle Pass, and Hatred's Heritage Phantom Market will be experienceable expressions of Sanctuary's matriarch. Your opportunity to let sin flow freely will arrive in early June.

Prepare for the hugely anticipated release of Diablo IV with these Limited Edition items from SteelSeries! One of a kind, right here. The time to face the Burning Hells is approaching. Are you ready to slay, mortal, or will you accept Lilith's blessing and worship her? Her gifts are tempting indeed.

Before you delve back into your favorite monster-slaying RPG, we have a brand new collection of Limited Edition items for you to peruse. Don't hesitate, as these usually do not last long... if stock runs out, mark that "Notify Me" on the product pages, as they may be back for a second round!

Years after the events of Diablo III, millions have been slaughtered by the actions of the High Heavens and Burning Hells alike. In the power vacuum, a legendary name resurfaces: Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, the whispered progenitor of humanity. Her grip on Sanctuary cuts deep into the hearts of men and women alike, cultivating the worst in its denizens and leaving the world a dark, hopeless place. Get a glimpse of the terror that awaits (below).

HELL WELCOMES ALL
Diablo IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, through beautifully dark settings, or explore a shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players.

On June 6, a new plane of Hell will open, giving way to endless hours of demon-slaying fun in Diablo IV. The team saw this as an opportunity to improve the accessibility offerings within the game, and they took careful steps to ensure that every new feature added would break down barriers that kept players from playing—a flame that guided them all through development.

OUR GUIDING FLAME
"The only limitation to adventuring in Sanctuary should be interest, not capability," said lead accessibility designer Drew McCrory when the team began ideating on the game's potential accessibility features. Starting with the bedrock laid forth in Diablo II: Resurrected, the team began to construct accessibility features that struck a balance between being useful for players with disabilities while being careful not to mar gameplay for others. From there, the team continued to smooth out the rough edges of the features in their incubation tank until they provided additional usability without altering the core gameplay loop. What they were left with were accessibility options that empower as many players as possible.

The Blessed Mother's return is nigh. Soon, you'll assume the mantle of Sanctuary's wanderer, and embark upon a quest to cull the unspeakable monstrosities that blight the land. But, before you begin your fight for the fate of the world, grab a seat beside the campfire and gaze upon the gameplay that Diablo IV has in store.

HELL WELCOMES ALL
Diablo IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, through beautifully dark settings, or explore a shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players.

Over the last few months, we have communicated details about customization, Endgame offerings, moment-to-moment gameplay, and given players a first-hand taste of Sanctuary through Act I during our Early Access and Open Beta Weekends. But what about the post-launch experience, and how do we plan to increase the heat? We'll answer this question by explaining our approach to Seasons, Season Journeys, Battle Pass, and the Shop, and how they work in unison to enhance and diversify the robust campaign and Endgame offerings available to players at launch. There was also a Diablo IV Developer Update Livestream today (see below) that further expands on the aforementioned areas—give it a watch after reading this blog.

Stoking the Flames of Hell: Seasons
Seasons are quarterly releases that will add additional gameplay features, questlines (with new and old faces alike), Battle Passes, Legendary Items, class balance changes, quality-of-life improvements, and much more. Seasons will introduce fresh concepts and ideas into the world of Sanctuary, for all wanderers to enjoy while simultaneously iterating upon your baseline experience. Above all, we want Seasons to be celebratory moments; something to look forward to and enjoy with your friends and other members of the Diablo community. Season 1 will begin in mid to late July, and to embark on this next chapter, you must first complete the Campaign. Because of this, we recommend you begin your pursuit of Lilith in advance so you can jump into the first Season as soon as it becomes available.