Blizzard hiring 'PlayStation 3 specialist' for Diablo 3 team

by JC Fletcher on Jun 3rd 2011 2:05PM

Normally, job listings that seem to suggest unannounced games can be interpreted in multiple ways, but this one seems fairly cut and dried. Blizzard is hiring for a "Senior Software Engineer, Console -- PlayStation 3 Specialist" within the Diablo 3 team.

"This position is responsible for overseeing Playstation 3 (PS3) architecture design," the listing explains, "as well as other PS3-specific game code development to maximize platform performance."

Even though this looks an awful lot like an indicator of an upcoming PS3 version of Diablo 3, of course, the standard disclaimers still apply. It could end up being a research-related job and not anything that leads to a console port; it could merely be part of the company's ongoing "investigation." If any company has money to burn on projects that don't turn into retail games, it's Blizzard.

[Thanks, John]

Source: Blizzard

Tags: blizzard, diablo-3, job-listing, playstation, ps3

Reader Comments (86)

YES!!!!!!!!!!

@KinseySS I would like to 2nd that YESSS!!!!!

@JnRx

Yes Thrice.

@KinseySS
No!
As a Senior Software Engineer - Console, NeoGeo I'm disappointed to hear I don't qualify.

@KinseySS
Knowing Blizzard, look forward to Diablo 3 for PS3 in 2014. :)

@Ben64 That isnt very long then.

@KinseySS
please, PLEASE tell me that this will be a cross-platform multiplayin' title. PLEEEEEEEASE plz plz plz plz plz plz

wow didnt see this coming hopefully they don't take another 5 years just to release it.

Diablo 3 on PS3!?!?!?!?!?!?
*head explodes*
I hope there will also be a 360 version, cause none of my friends have a ps3. :(

@ShokLoc
You need better friends...
j/k

@ShokLoc I believe they had already hired 360 developers, or at least someone who could competently port from PC to 360(by far the easiest port possible).

@blackangel209 Really? That's good. It would be foolish to pass up the 360 audience, especially with it being much easier to port to.

@blackangel209

Got anything to back that claim up with or you just making s.hit up?

@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell The Xbox development kit supports C++ or c programming, which is very common. You can also use visual studio for 360 games, which is also common among general pc development. XNA game studio can be used to make simple games for both PC and 360. I do program, BTW.

@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell
The 360 uses similar coding architects to PC, so if they know how to program for the PC it is extremely similar for the 360.

Most, if not all of their programmers would be able to port it over to the 360 easily with a small course, so there really is no point in hiring a specific 360 designer.

@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell

Heck, when I saw that title, I already knew it was also going to 360, they just don't need specific developers because its similar coding to PC :/

@ShokLoc

It wont come out for the 360, for the same reason FFXIII won't come out, and thats Microsofts restrictions on Xbox Live.

Blizzard would be developing/porting for it to play on Battle.net alongside PC gamers.

@blackangel209 you don't need to hire 360 specialists. it's the same programming tools used for both the 360 and PC.

dam...another pc classic getting consolified - this heavily affects/affected pc development

@Tradio Look not everything on PC that goes to consoles has to be bad Look at the Witcher 2 It's awesome on the PC and now it's coming to consoles and it's STILL great on the PC.

I actually like PC games coming out on Consoles so MORE people can enjoy the experience.

@JnRx As long as the PC version isn't negatively affected by the console port, it isn't too bad. Its not good when you get a game like Crysis 2 which is definitely dumbed down from the original, that was a console port to the PC. We need to have PC games scaled down to the consoles, ala Battlefield 3! : /

@Tradio
Clearly, they are just now hiring PS3 developers so PC development can be affected retroactively. Another of your sacred works defiled by the slavering, cretinous masses, I suppose.

Interesting development; I may consider picking up a 360 copy in addition to PC, for my console buddies.

@Tradio - Diablo is, and always has been, a point and click game. There is nothing you can do in Diablo that couldn't be easily mapped to a controller, and as such, there is no reason not to bring it to consoles (assuming that MS and Sony will allow Battle.net). Furthermore, no game in the series has ever been a graphical marvel, or pushed PC hardware to the limit, so it's not as if the consoles would be holding the game back.

I'll probably still buy it for the PC, but I may play with a 360 controller if they map it out properly.

@Tradio Diablo 1 was on the ps1 back in the day.

@BananaBoat

:/ Pessimism at its finest?

@Spunky Monkey 190906 - Eh? I wasn't being pessimistic at all. All I said was that Diablo III would be fine on the consoles.

Did you mean that I was pessimistic about their ability to properly map the controls to a controller? If so, I'm more cautiously optimistic. Blizzard doesn't half-ass anything, and I'm sure they won't overlook that aspect of development.

@BananaBoat

The reason I said it was pessimism is because you haven't even given them a chance to experiment, it wouldn't be the first of its kind on the consoles and certainly won't be the last. I knew Blizzard is a perfectionist, but that's not stopping them from MAKING it work on the consoles, even if it means spending ages adapting the control mechanism to fit the consoles. That's what businesses do, MAKE things work, no matter what it takes because money is always first priority.

Why restrict how much you could potentially make JUST because PC gamers don't like playing PC originated games with a controller? Sounds like a stupid business practise to me and a potentially great way towards bankruptcy unless you are on to something great and fans are already throwing cash at you even before you release a game. I know this is the case with Blizzard, but still... :/

@Spunky Monkey 190906 - I agree with you, which is why I'm confused.

"If any company has money to burn on projects that don't turn into retail games, it's Blizzard."

Diablo 1 was on PS1 and Starcraft was on N64, so I don't see why this wouldn't happen.

@crazedaku Apparently they also made Warcraft II: The Dark Saga for the Playstation. I think it would be a neat idea if Bliz incorporated the USB keyboards that 360 and PS3 support to allow hotkeys. Hell even those cool controller keyboards might do the trick. I can only hope the controls are decent like the Torchlight console port.

Hope this doesn't push the PC version back.

@McDude

Agreed.

As one of potentially thousands of fans who plan to buy a new gaming PC specifically to run this game, I'm not particularly thrilled by the choice of paying substantially less money (for a PS3) for a graphically inferior version of the game.

Not part of the PC Master Race believers, but man alive, I just wish this dead horse would stay dead.

@Uniform solidState Messenger

If your going to get it on the PC why do you even care that it's coming to the Ps3? As long as it's coming to PC you should just be happy about it.

I'm glad other people get to enjoy it now as well.

I don't care too much about graphics really I'm not going to be sitting there with my PC next to my PS3 comparing how they look anyway.

and I know people will say "You can just hook up your PC to your TV" yeah you can do that but sometimes that's just a bother.

@McDude

How would you ever tell unless they expressly said anyway? Blizzard takes incredibly long to release products already.

@Vidikron

Well, last I heard they were shooting for release by the end of this year. I'm assuming that means the game is mostly done....

...but yeah, I guess I can't say with 100% certainty.

Its sad to see the PC keep losing exclusives, it needs all the ones it can get. The consoles have plenty of exclusives the PC will never get. : (

I just wish for every game we lose, we get a game in return, ala L.A Noire, but the odds are stacked against that. : (

@nerdydesi1 I guess I wouldn't mind it so much if the developers would build in keyboard/mouse support for the console games.

@nerdydesi1 Now people are downvoting me for no reason. Jeez, Joystiq is going downhill, no wonder some people left from beforehand, too many people with thin skin.

/cheers

Bringing Diablo to consoles was always said that it would be a "Diablo related project". They never said it would be a port. That said, even if it were ported it would not effect the quality of the game. I mean it's the console getting the ported version guys, not the PC.

Ooo Ooo! Hire the Hackers!!!

Or Mr. Butler. His poop smells like the cosmos.

WHAT THE $$#%#^%&%$$#$%%$^%$##! This differently goes back to one of my earlier comments, "why is the PS3 getting all of this love?!"

Perhaps this is one of Sony's Big Announcements at E3

Diablo 3 On Ps3

I'll be there if that's true! I WILL SO BE THERE! YOU JUST TRY AND STOP ME!

Mice everywhere are rejoicing!

@Denbowski I don't get it, you mean controllers are rejoicing?

Would be nice if it came out for 360 too since that's where most of my friends are, but I'm still excited!

DISLIKE. PC games belong on PC, period. D3 is looking sketchy enough as it is, the last thing the developers need now is to worry about how it will translate to a console. This absolutely will impact the development of this game in some way, I just hope it isn't noticeable when it finally hits. The Witcher 2 is absolutely an exception and not the rule as far as "console-ized" games go.

I just hope it gets developed for the PC independently first, and that the PS3 version is a port. I gave up on trying to get Borderlands and Mass Effect 1 to run properly on my machine, but have no problems with games developed for PC from the ground up. Time will tell I suppose...

@(Unverified) So, wait... because Blizzard has been making Diablo 3 for PC for over 5 years now, and because they're just now hiring console specialists at the tail end of the development cycle, suddenly means that the game is going to be "console-ized"?

Oh, gimme a goddamn break, ffs.

D3 looks like a fantastic PC game. If a second team is busy exploring how it might work on consoles once PC development is finished, what's the problem with that?

@(Unverified) Riiiight NO....I Think PC games are Fine on PC when they are developed properly I think it's up to the DEVS to make sure the game is GREAT on ALL platforms.

Not everyone could afford to build or buy a PC and upgrade it.

And YES I know it doesn't always cost that much if you have a job but there are some people will jobs and other responsibilities.

But anyway Torchlight on the xbox being just as good if not better than the PC version proved that games that were on PC and brought to consoles can be just as good as their PC counter parts if the developers but in the effort to make it so.

Plus the PS3 comes with Mouse and Keyboard Support so that could always be a control method for those who want to play it that way or for people who are worried that it will be bad when it's only on the controller.

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Diablo 3

Blizzard hiring 'PlayStation 3 specialist' for Diablo 3 team

Reader Comments (86)

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:07PM KinseySS said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:12PM JnRx said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:25PM MSKiller aka Sony4life said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:31PM ijustw1n said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:33PM Ben64 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:28PM LEONLEONLEON said

Posted: Jun 5th 2011 4:14PM Spookimitsu said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:09PM bargaingamer said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:10PM ShokLoc said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:12PM eNriqeu said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:20PM blackangel209 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:39PM ShokLoc said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:59PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:04PM ShokLoc said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:44PM killer rin said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 7:52PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 8:26PM Jonny said

Posted: Jun 4th 2011 12:25AM onlysublime said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:13PM Tradio said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:27PM JnRx said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:19PM nerdydesi1 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:28PM Ravenok said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 4:18PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 5:53PM mrantimatter said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 7:54PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 10:13PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 11:39PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: Jun 4th 2011 12:42AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:16PM crazedaku said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 5:37PM pibs said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:19PM McDude said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:28PM Uniform solidState Messenger said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:32PM JnRx said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:02PM Vidikron said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 3:30PM McDude said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:20PM nerdydesi1 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:27PM TheAngryIntern said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 5:03PM nerdydesi1 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:20PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:24PM Mechazawa Prime said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:24PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:26PM Dance Mofo said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:28PM JnRx said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:28PM FinalFantasyXIIIsucks said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:30PM Denbowski said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 5:02PM nerdydesi1 said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:32PM 343 Guilty Fart said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:33PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:42PM JerrytheB said

Posted: Jun 3rd 2011 2:48PM JnRx said

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