Activision Is Planning More Remasters For 2021
Prepare for a dose of retro gaming fun as Activision has confirmed more remasters are on the way in 2021. From Call of Duty: Black Ops II to Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, Wolfenstein (2009) to Rome: Total War, Activision has churned out some legends over the years. In recent memory, we've already seen fan-favourites like Spyro and Crash be remastered for a whole new generation. Hidden in news that Overwatch 2 won't be released in 2021, there's a glimmer of hope thanks to news Activision is working on more remasters.
Activision Blizzard just held a Q4 earnings call looking at the future. Following in the footsteps of last year's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, there's the promise that more are on the way. In the middle of rumours that Diablo II could be getting a remaster, Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst at Niko Partners thinks we're on the money.
What Activision remasters could be coming in 2021?
According to Ahman, Tony Hawk remaster developers Vicarious Visions are moving forward with the Diablo remaster that is reportedly going under the title Diablo II: Remastered. It's important that we take all of this with a massive pinch of salt until there's an official nod. Diablo II first came to PC in 2000 to critical acclaim, and is still held as a major influence for modern dungeon games. Minecraft Dungeons even had an Easter egg to the terrifying Hell Bovines from Diablo II. Bloomberg first suggested a Diablo II remaster in January, but it remains to be seen if there's more to the story.
In terms of Activision Blizzard as a bigger company, Chief Financial Officer Dennis Durkin told investors they can look forward to remastered classics in 2021. Although Durkin wouldn't reveal what's on the horizon, there are whispers that the Activision side of the business could be working on a Modern Warfare remake for next-gen consoles. Considering Blizzard has absorbed Crash and Spyro's Vicarious Vision, the developer won't be working on standard Activision remaster. The fact VV now falls under Blizzard, it's only stoked the fire that the growing ranks of developers are tinkering with Diablo II.
Exactly a year ago, Durkin said pretty much the same thing in a similar call. Back then, he revealed, "We have a few other things up our sleeve in terms of remastered content that will unveil in due course, which should provide further opportunity for us this year. And as Daniel [Alegre, Activision Blizzard COO] mentioned, all of this incremental opportunity is digital, which should allow us to continue to grow our margin as we did, and we set record margins last year. So we should be able to build upon that. From a phasing point of view, you see our Q1 guide is obviously extremely strong".
What do the Activision remasters mean?
You only have to look at the success of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy selling over 10 million copies, leading to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled in 2019, and setting the scene for Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time last October. Although It's About Time charted new territory and was praised as a return to form, it's doubtful it would've done as well as it did without N. Sane Trilogy reminding fans why they loved the franchise in the first place. Given that Blizzard has just announced Diablo IV has joined Overwatch 2 in a post-2021 release, a remastered Diablo 2 is convenient timed to drum up interest in the next chapter.
Whatever Activision is remastering, there's an ever-decreasing circle of games it could be. Although the publisher once held the rights to X-Men, James Bond, and Transformers, these licensing deals expired a long time ago. It means, Activision only hold on to a few key IPs. Then again, they're some of the biggest IPs in the gaming world.
As a final cherry on the top, Durkin promised there's a "premium" Call of Duty game coming in Q4. We've come to expect a new CoD game every year, but it seems like the dust hasn't even settled on Black Ops Cold War before we'll be jumping into another game. Either way, Activision Blizzard clearly has a lot in the pipeline for players to be excited about. Let's hope some form of normality returns, and we'll get these promised Activison remasters in 2021.
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