Diablo IV’s open beta is right around the corner, and a new live-action advertisement just goes to show how committed developer Blizzard is when it comes to delivering on the game’s promise of making the upcoming ARPG look and feel like a gothic-era painting.
The ad, narrated by actor Charles Dance (perhaps most well-known for his role as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones) features an epic mural installed on the ceiling of a real cathedral that depicts the battle between the forces of good and Diablo IV’s big-bad demon, Lilith.
It’s an impressive sight, and required 2,400 square feet of canvas that was later installed on the ceiling and dome of the Chapelle des Jesuites cathedral in Cambrai, France. The mural is the work of Baroque artist Adam Miller and others, and features 20 unique paintings that together form a 160-foot in length mural.
“They wanted something in a Baroque style, and the scale and the speed of it seemed a bit insane, so I thought let’s give it a try,” Miller said in a behind-the-scenes video.
Diablo IV art director John Mueller said the main goal was to make something “epic in scale” that “calls back to the time of Michelangelo and Davinci, and these old masters that defined a generation of art.
Players who reach level 25 in the upcoming Diablo IV open beta and opt-in to a sweepstakes will be eligible to have their face added to the mural, “glorified amongst the hallowed heroes of Sanctuary forever.”
An early access beta available to those who pre-order Diablo IV will run March 17-19, with an open beta period to follow March 24-26. The beta will include the entirety of the game’s first act and sport a max level of 25. Players who reach certain milestones in the beta will unlock unique titles, and a wolf pup backpack, in the full version of Diablo IV, which releases on June 6, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
