Diablo IV 'Hell Station' brings fans to game's universe in real life

Games & Webtoons

Published: 19 May. 2023, 18:42 Updated: 22 May. 2023, 16:04

Diablo IV 'Hell Station' brings fans to game's universe in real life

Limited-run interactive exhibit Hell Station created by Blizzard Entertainment to promote the launch of the company’s upcoming video game, Diablo IV [BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT]

When entering what seems like a normal warehouse in the basement of the Yeongdeungpo Market Station in western Seoul, you encounter pitch-black darkness. But you soon realize unpleasant and grotesque objects are lying around the floor and a bloody graffiti that reads, "Sin is the birthright."

Has the Yeongdeungpo Market Station on line No. 5 turned into a "Hell Station?" It indeed did.

Diablo fans will instantly be relieved upon seeing that phrase, realizing this is no real crime scene but a limited-run interactive exhibit, "Hell Station," created by Blizzard Entertainment to promote the launch of the company's upcoming video game, Diablo IV.

Limited-run interactive exhibit “Hell Station” created by Blizzard Entertainment to promote the launch of the company’s upcoming video game, "Diablo IV" [BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT]

The exhibit kicks off Friday and will take place until June 11 to celebrate the launch of Diablo IV on June 6, the fourth title of the action role-playing game (RPG) franchise Diablo developed by the U.S-based game company Blizzard Entertainment, known best for their hit game franchises StarCraft, Warcraft, Overwatch and more.

"Hell Station" is designed with the theme of Diablo's fictional universe colliding with the real world, showing what it would look like if the dungeons in the game came to real life in Korea.
Blizzard Entertainment explained that while the content of Hell Station is not directly linked to the storyline of Diablo IV, it has been adapted and reinterpreted for Korea, where both long-time fans of the franchise, newcomers and people who had never heard of the game franchise before can dive in and experience the game in real life.

Limited-run interactive exhibit “Hell Station” created by Blizzard Entertainment to promote the launch of the company’s upcoming video game, Diablo IV [BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT]

Visitors to the exhibit will play the role of special investigators to investigate and figure out the "mysterious phenomenon" that has been happening in Seoul that revolves around the keywords "the devil," "the pagan" and "the sacrifice."

The event is done through a collaboration with Seoul Metro, utilizing the unused fourth basement floor of the Youngdeungpo Market Station, which remained abandoned since its construction almost 20 years ago. It will be the first time the unused basement is being opened to the general public, according to Blizzard Entertainment.

Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming action role-playing game Diablo IV [BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT]

Diablo IV picks off 50 years after Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, the game's last expansion released in 2014. Set in Sanctuary, the player acts as a savior of the world, trying to battle the devil named Lilith, which had been revived by the devil worshipers. Diablo franchise is widely recognized as the pioneering game in the action RPG genre, popularizing the intuitive point-and-click control schemes, where the players progress through the game with mouse movements.

The game is priced at 84,500 won ($63) for the standard edition, ranging to 136,400 won. It will be available on Windows and consoles PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]