At the 2022 Game Awards, Activision Blizzard had a big night, thanks to Halsey and Blizzard’s Diablo IV reveal
The Grammy nominee’s live performance heralded a June 2023 return to Sanctuary and led other announcements from Modern Warfare II and everyone’s favorite mutant marsupial, Crash
Hello, friends and fellow gamers 👋 🎮
About last night …
At the ninth annual Game Awards, Activision Blizzard officially announced the 2023 street date and pre-purchase for Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo® IV in a smoke-filled, big mood, live performance of the song “Lilith” by Grammy nominee and Diablo superfan Halsey. 🧑🏼🎤
“As soon as Diablo IV was announced, I knew I wanted to be a part of the lead-up and launch,” said Halsey, who has amassed more than 31 billion combined global streams to date and has sold nearly 17 million adjusted album units worldwide. “Lilith is such an influence on my own art and has informed so many characteristics of my alter-ego. My family has spent many hours together in Sanctuary over the years, so I am here as a fan and as a collaborator.”
As a larger-than-life-sized Lilith looked down her nose at the mortal souls in Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, Halsey emerged from a phalanx of cloaked acolytes in a roiling, red cloud of smoke to perform the demon’s titular track, originally released on 2021’s Grammy-nominated “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.”
“The more that you give away, the more that you have, the more that they take,” Halsey sang — spit curls spitting, tattoos blazing. The reveal comes six months before the anticipated release of Diablo IV on June 6, 2023. The game will be available to play on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 devices.
As awards show dates go, Halsey is a tough act to follow — so we’re following them with more Halsey. After connecting with Trent Reznor on their recent album, the “So Good” singer is tapping into their long-time love of Sanctuary — and its love-to-hate/hate-to-love progenitor Lilith — to collaborate with Blizzard on a campaign welcoming millions through the gates of Sanctuary.
“Together, Halsey and the Diablo team will bring the relentless battle between angels and demons to the world, as they invite everyone to join us in the most brutal vision of Sanctuary to date,” said Rod Fergusson, General Manager of Diablo at Blizzard Entertainment. “It’s so exciting to collaborate with such a talented artist and someone who has loved Diablo for years, and we can’t wait to continue working with Halsey to support the launch of Diablo IV.”
Halsey led the charge for the 2023 reveals that Activision Blizzard studios brought to the games industry’s big night. In other news:
Crash Bandicoot crashed the show. His mega-swoll frame backlit by smoke-filled lights, the genetically engineered marsupial repelled down from the ceiling to herald the release of Crash Team Rumble in 2023, and the crowd went wild (while his teleconference colleagues stayed on mute, of course). But don’t just take our word for it:
Fan favorite Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II continued its momentum this holiday by hyping Season One: Reloaded. Coming December 14, the free content update for MWII will debut Episode 01: Atomgrand, Call of Duty’s first Special Ops Raid. Players will grab two of their best squadmates and play as Price, Farah, and Gaz to uncover the secrets held within a highly fortified enemy facility.
For Activision Blizzard, the Diablo IV announcement comes at the end of a banner year. To recap: Diablo Immortal brought Sanctuary on mobile to millions of players globally in June, and Hearthstone launched three expansions and saw some of its best-ever engagement. King’s Candy Crush Saga celebrated a decade of making the world playful. Overwatch 2 welcomed 25 million players in its first 10 days (and 35 million in its first month). World of Warcraft released their ninth expansion, Dragonflight, allowing players to take to the skies and explore the vibrant landscapes of the Dragon Isles. Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 crossed over 25 million users in its first five days. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II beat out blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick to become the biggest entertainment opening of the year. And overall, Activision Blizzard received a half dozen Game Awards nominations for Modern Warfare II, Overwatch 2, and Diablo Immortal.
With exquisitely rendered outer and underworlds, Diablo IV looks to be another big launch in 2023. The franchise has already been hell on earth for 75 million players since its launch in 1997.
“The Game Awards’ performance for the launch date announcement is just the beginning of what Blizzard Entertainment and I have in store,” Halsey said. “A lot of exciting things are coming for Halsey fans, Diablo fans, and the crossover — waiting for Lilith’s embrace.” 😈
Take Action
🪖To fight for your squad, visit Modern Warfare II.
🔫 To fight for your friends, visit Overwatch 2.
🔥 To fight for your soul, visit Diablo Immortal and Diablo IV.
🥭 To fight for exotic fruit, visit Crash Team Rumble.
About the Author
Marli Guzzetta is the Director of Corporate Content at Activision Blizzard. She creates narrative campaigns to champion the world-class, diverse talent behind games like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, and more. See some of Marli’s favorite games in bio. 🎮