Blizzard: Diablo 3 "feels even better" with a gamepad

Blizzard's console intentions for Diablo 3 are hinted at yet again with the game's director telling the press how well he feels the game benefits from being played with a controller.

From job listings to little verbal hints from developers a console version of Diablo III has been something that's been on the cards in a pretty heavy way for a while now. With the game's beta finally underway, Blizzard are talking to the press and, surprisingly, being very candid about the prospects of a console version.

"One of the reasons why we’re exploring the idea of a console version of Diablo III because we feel that the controls and the style of the game lend itself to a console," game director Jay Wilson explained to PC Gamer. "With some of our early experiments in putting a direct control scheme into the game via a 360-like analogue controller, I’ve been 'Oh this feels even better, with direct control…'"

"We don’t see ourselves as a PC developer – we see ourselves as a game developer," he also said.

Diablo-like title Torchlight - which was designed by staff who worked on earlier Diablo titles - saw decent success on Xbox Live Arcade. Blizzard may well wish to emulate that success.

Wilson is clear that for now he and his team are focused on the PC version alone, though. "I can pretty much guarantee that if we decide to do a console version that we will look to support a pad on the PC," he added. "But initially with release I don’t think we’ll be ready."

Thanks, PC Gamer.