Blizzard's description of Diablo 4's seasons and their battle paths does not mention that you must start a new character in order to participate in each season, which has many players puzzled just a few weeks before the start of Season 1.

The "Diablo 2" ladder and "Diablo 3" seasons work the same way, starting a new season character each time season 1 begins, but this context was easy to miss unless you are an avid fan of the series. I played both "Diablo 2" (23 years ago) and "Diablo 3" (11 years ago), but never got into the season mode. There is also the issue of the new Battle Pass in "Diablo 4," which is why this topic came up this week; Diablo franchise GM Rod Fergusson confirmed on Twitter that a new seasonal character is needed to level up the Battle Pass

"The new season character will be a new character.

"You will need to create a new Seasonal Character to participate in Seasonal Quests, Mechanics, Seasonal Journeys, and Battle Pass.

No other characters will be lost, and the new season character will become a regular character after the season ends, but judging by Twitter responses, this was not what many Diablo 4 players were expecting.

"I paid for the 1st season, I'll create a new character, but when it's over, it's over," said one player."

"Re-leveling the same content with new little twists is not a fun idea for repeat play.

Blizzard has been developing the concept of seasonal characters for years, and when the first season of Diablo 4 debuts in mid- to late-July, it may win over some of the skeptics. The big picture for me is that modern game developers are having a hard time explaining the live service method to players, and it seems to be getting worse. Just last week, the controversial announcement of a $15 story mission fee for Overwatch 2 was initially completely unclear, and journalists scrambled for an explanation from Blizzard.

As it stands, understanding the basic structure of video games will be like interpreting the meaning of the quantum wavefunction a decade from now. (Personally, I prefer the Relational Microtransactions formulation of endgame dynamics, but I understand the appeal of Many Seasons theory.)