“I’m Skeptical About 20-Year-Old Remasters”, Says Ex-Blizzard President After ‘Diablo II: Resurrected’ Released 21 Years After the Original

Nostalgia is one hell of a driving factor when it comes to video games. Remasters are some of the greatest ways to get all-time classics into the hands of more players, especially those who had never experienced the original game. In the jump from the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Super Nintendo, Super Mario All-Stars may have kicked off this trend. Mike Ybarra, former Blizzard President from August 2021 until 2024, doesn’t seem too hyped about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. All while being listed as Executive Vice President & General Manager, Platform & Technology, as well as Co-Leader, in Diablo II: Resurrected. A Remaster of a 21-year-old game.

Yes, ‘Elden Ring’ Is a Fantastic Game. But if Every Game Was Like It, Wouldn’t It Lose Its Luster?

Would I be stupid to argue that Elden Ring isn’t a modern masterpiece? I would be. It’s an incredible game, much like Oblivion and Diablo II were at the time of their release. Yet, here we are today, with Remastered editions of both of these games. Comparing Diablo II to more modern Diablo releases, I think we know where the heart of the fans lies at the end of the day. Rather than elevating a successful release of a game that is comforting to many players, it feels disingenuous to try and score a “slam dunk” off of a game like this. Ultimately, games are an art form. And that art form deserves to be seen by as many eyes as possible.

I'm skeptical about 20 year old remasters. What was once fantastic, now remastered, will never hold up against modern masterpieces like Elden Ring. The bar has simply moved from safe open world RPGs to what Elden Ring brought us all.

I would love to be proven wrong. But I'm…

— Mike Ybarra 🎮 (@Qwik) April 22, 2025

Browsing through social media, I’m seeing players who had never experienced the magic of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion see what makes that game special for the first time. You could likely say the same for Diablo II: Resurrected. Seeing the work that Bethesda and Virtuos Studios put into Oblivion is incredible. While games like Days Gone have received the most minute visual upgrade for the same price.

I hope it's very successful. I fear they are marketing it incorrectly. If it has refined game play, it's not a "remaster" it's a "remake". Which is fantastic news and I'll snag it on Steam myself!

— Mike Ybarra 🎮 (@Qwik) April 22, 2025

Looking at the Concurrent Player Count, Mike Ybarra May Need To Try It Before Bashing the Practice

Regardless of whether this is just “riling people up” or a genuine opinion, it just feels wrong to do. Especially after parking in the act of remastering a 20-year-old game yourself. And I say this as someone who has played both the original and remastered versions of Diablo II and Oblivion. More often than not, older games deserve just as much love as our more “contemporary” and “modern” games. Elden Ring took the world by storm in 2022, just as Oblivion and Diablo II did during their respective lifecycles. Yet, when the PlayStation 7 is a thing, are we going to complain about Elden Ring Remastered? Absolutely not.

To be fair to Mike Ybarra, I can agree in some ways. Do I think The Last of Us needed to be remastered multiple times and resold? No, I don’t think so at all. And that game is, technically, only 12 years old. But here we are, with two separate remasters under its belt, and it’s not even old enough to drive yet.