Blizzard is gearing up big time to give gamers the ultimate launch for Diablo IV. “Long-awaited” doesn’t cut it. Diablo III was released in 2012, and more than ten years later, Diablo IV is set for release in June. With this weekend fast approaching for the early access beta, let’s look at what’s happening around the world to celebrate it.
KFC in the United States is giving away early access Diablo IV beta codes to customers who purchase their Double Down sandwich which replaces buns with fried chicken (!!!!). Blizzard has hung painted murals in a deconsecrated French church of “the five character classes from Diablo IV as they clash with the powers of evil”. And guess what the fashion forecast for Milan last month was? Apparently it was a ‘Blizzard’, and boy did one come through town!
Yes. You read that right. Diablo IV was in Italy for Fashion Week. What the devil was Blizzard doing there, you ask? While the supermodels of the world were celebrating creativity and la bella figura at Milan Fashion Week… enter a plot twist more interesting than putting peanut butter in pasta. Well, apparently hell can be a beautiful place if you’re a gamer who loves fashion. Can you say “Diablo’s Danish fashion situation” three times fast?
Han Kjøbenhavn is a trendsetting Danish menswear brand. Beyonce wore them in British Vogue, so you best believe they mean business. While rooted in the world-renowned Danish design language, the brand peels back a comfortable veneer to showcase the heartbeat of the edgier side of Copenhagen. This rather fits with the rebellious energy of arguably the world’s biggest game developer, don’t you think?
With their new underworld-themed collection in collaboration with the Danish brand, it seems that Diablo IV has allowed Blizzard to meaningfully foray into innovative fashion. Especially considering how devoutly Catholic Italy is, it therefore certainly seems to be the case that Han Kjøbenhavn gave Milan a “hellish suprise”.
The sculptural designs, brought to life by brand founder Davidsen himself, are inspired by Sanctuary, the world fans know so well, as well as Diablo IV’s mother of Demons, Lilith. Featuring handcrafted elements in faux fur, vegan leather and feathers, the collection is formed around a palette devoid of colour except for vibrant, blood-red fabrics – bringing, as they say, the drama.
Embodying high-fashion crossing over into ‘hell’, the Chthonic Penumbra’ collection is described as “an artistic vision born from the dark corners of a genre-defining game”. No friendly, Scandi-chic pink or aqua accents here – this seems to be a high concept journey, with the focus truly on beauty found in the darkest labyrinths. Leaving no corner untouched, the show was accompanied by dystopian-themed audio, capturing the mood of the collection perfectly. Fans of the game would have been pleased.
We caught up with the Managing Editor of our sibling publication TechENT, Nur Jeevan Guna Segar, who is an avid fan of the game. He mused, “The lineup from Han Kjøbenhavn captures the Gothic, avant-garde feel that has become Diablo’s signature across all the entries into the franchise. Certain pieces have a certain reminiscence to characters like the archangels, and even dungeon bosses like Andariel and Magda. It brings the world of Sanctuary one step closer to reality.”
Apparently, fans of both universes will be able to flaunt the styles later this year. The ready-to-wear “Chthonic Penumbra” collection will be available for purchase in summer 2023. With a single jacket from Han Kjøbenhavn going for almost $500, while the idea might seem to be to play the game, and wear it, too, this high-fashion collab is perhaps not as accessible to all as Diablo IV itself will be, but we suspect the wider community can live with that.
If you weren’t already glued to your Twitter and Reddit feeds for updates, readers may learn more about the open beta, but stay tuned to the PKG for the latest on Diablo IV and more! Read more of our Diablo coverage, and our most recent update on Diablo IV.
