Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject.
Blizzard has decided to remove TCP/IP support from Diablo II Resurrected, a popular multiplayer feature that allowed players to play with others using a peer-to-peer connection rather than official Blizzard servers.
Blizzard announced its decision in a new FAQ for the Diablo II Resurrected early access beta.
“TCP/IP support will not be available in the upcoming Beta or the final game,” Blizzard stated. “After careful deliberation, we will no longer be supporting this option as we identified potential security risks and are committed to safeguarding the player experience.”
TCP/IP support has also been used to play games over LAN connections, with external services like GameRanger making it possible to play online. This potentially opened the door to cheaters when playing with strangers, but perhaps most importantly, it let players circumvent using Blizzard’s Battle.net service.
Reddit users over on /r/pcgaming were quick to criticize the decision, noting it would have negative implications for the speedrunning community, and would make it impossible to play online with the remastered graphics and features while using smaller mods that don’t have dedicated servers. Most prominently, the decision has been criticized as a move to ensure Blizzard can protect its revenue stream and force players to use Battle.net. The removal of TCP/IP support could also have implications for the future of multiplayer functionality on the remaster if Blizzard ever shuttered the service without implementing a solution.
The Diablo 2 technical alpha held earlier this year also experienced players cracking the game and enabling item duping and playing as locked classes, according to PCGamesN. The possibility of having Diablo II Resurrected’s player economy maliciously altered potentially played a role in Blizzard’s decision to remove TCP/IP support.
This is far from the first time a Blizzard remaster/re-release has encountered fan pushback. When Warcraft III: Reforged launched, it effectively made it impossible to play the original classic, replacing it with a remaster that suffered from technical issues and failed to live up to various promises from Blizzard.
If the lack of TCP/IP support isn’t a dealbreaker for you, you can check out the Diablo II Resurrected public beta dates and see the game in action for yourself.
Activision will also take part in this year’s Gamescom event, which is being held from August 25 to August 27.
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/necromancer for IGN.