The progression from Diablo to Diablo 3 is logical, but there's no denying that they are very different games fundamentally. When David Brevik created the classic hack and slash adventure, there's likely no way he could have known that it would gain such a massive following. Now almost 25 years later, the franchise is still going strong with a fourth main entry on its way. Though it may be hard for some to picture Diablo 3 as anything other than what it is, Brevik recently revealed on social media in response to a fan's question that he had originally envisioned a very different game.
Those that don't keep up with the inner workings of Blizzard would be forgiven for not knowing the full story behind the development of Diablo. In short, the original game was developed by Blizzard North, and this studio also handled the creation of the ever popular Diablo 2. In 2005, it shut down, and the main branch of Blizzard Entertainment took over instead. This developer was responsible for Diablo 3 and is working on Diablo 4.
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This means that Brevik didn't actually work on the Diablo 3 that fans know and love today, but that doesn't mean he didn't have his own ideas for it. After Diablo 2 released back in 2000, Blizzard North then began development on its own version of Diablo 3. This was not to be, however, and numerous employee resignations among other problems caused the spark to fizzle out. After the studio disolved, mention of this version of Diablo 3 became mostly irrelevant.
When pressed about what his version of Diablo 3 would have looked like, Brevik leads off by saying it would have been very different from any Diablo game, presumably including the two that he worked on himself. He goes on to explain that it was a mixture of ARPG elements with those of an MMO, but clarifies that he isn't referring to anything like World of Warcraft. Of note, Brevik says that many of the concepts that were used in Marvel Heroes, another game he created with a different company, actually were originally thought up for this game.
In reaction to his answer, fans lament that they'll never get to see what Brevik's Diablo 3 would have been. Many start to reminisce on Marvel Heroes, sharing fond memories they have with that game. Finally, another group of commenters compare his description of his Diablo 3 to Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming Diablo 4, as they seem to share similar aspects from what fans can tell.