'Diablo 4' Breaks Battle.net Exclusivity, Set For Steam Release In October

'Diablo 4' is set to launch on Valve's Steam on Oct. 17, four months after its exclusive release on Activision Blizzard Inc's ATVI Battle.net platform.

Players on Steam will need to purchase the game and connect it to a Battle.net account for cross-platform play, the company announced in a blog post.

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Steam players will have access to achievements, their friends list, and the ability to invite friends to play in-game.

This marks the second Blizzard game on Steam, following "Overwatch 2," which received a mixed reception. Blizzard's decision to release games on Steam aims to break down barriers between gaming communities.

"Diablo IV is a game about slaying nightmarish creatures and acquiring powerful gear, but also about forging memories with new and old friends," Blizzard wrote. "We want to break down barriers to make it easier for wanderers everywhere to defend Sanctuary."

The Steam launch coincides with the start of Diablo 4's Season 2, called Season of Blood, as the game seeks to regain momentum following a strong initial launch but a subsequent decline in interest due to update issues and a lack of endgame content.

Blizzard is working on annual expansions to revitalize the game.

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