The game takes place in Sanctuary

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo 2 Items. Warriors that survived the onslaught of the armies of the Burning Hells have gone mad from their ordeals, and it is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary. Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.[4]

The only confirmed NPC is Deckard Cain,[5] who has appeared in both of the previous games. Cain's journal on the official site brings players up to speed on the events of the first two games.[8]


Development
Development on Diablo 2 Items began some time in 2005 when Blizzard North was still in operation. The original artistic design differed from that shown at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 demonstration, and had undergone three revisions before reaching the standards felt necessary by the team behind Diablo 2 Items. The development teams comprise fifty people. Most of the game mechanics and physics are complete and undergoing minor revisions. Most of the current and remaining development will focus on adding game content.[9]

Diablo 2 Items's lead designer is Jay Wilson, a former Relic Entertainment designer credited with work on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Its lead world designer is Leonard Boyarsky, one of the six co-creators of Fallout.[10]

The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms, with no current plans for release on video game consoles.[7]