Blizzard has promised fans that it is not intending to replace the original Diablo 2 with its upcoming remaster.
Speaking in a video Q&A, principal designer Rob Gallerani confirmed that Diablo 2: Resurrected is a separate product that won’t override any of the game files from the classic title.
When asked directly if the D2:R will overwrite an original D2 installation, Gallerani replied, “No, absolutely not.”
While this may seem like a strange question to ask of a developer, Blizzard has form when it comes to remasters. Warcraft 3: Reforged completely replaced the original Warcraft 3 client from Battle.net and overrode player files when installed.
This meant that players could no longer access the vanilla version of Warcraft 3 or use any of the features that were missing from the subsequent remaster. This caused an uproar among fans who felt that Blizzard was effectively removing a product that they had paid for without permission.