Blizzard filled a deconsecrated French church with Diablo 4 murals
The Chapelle des Jésuites got a makeover courtesy of Diablo 4’s presumably enormous marketing budget.
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The era of truly licentious videogame marketing stunts has been waning ever since that time Sonyused a dead goatto promote God of War 2, but here’s at least a mildly risqué performance from Blizzard: TheDiablo 4developer has covered the interior of a French cathedral with depictions of the game’s battle with Lilith, Queen of the Succubi.
The cathedral in question is the Chapelle des Jésuites (Jesuits' Chapel) in Cambrai, a Baroque-style 17th-century church in northern France. The building has been deconsecrated, according to Blizzard, meaning it’s not officially a sacred site. It is a historical monument, though, so if you’re wondering whether Blizzard actually painted “the five character classes from Diablo 4 as they clash with the powers of evil” onto the chapel’s interior: It did not. A total of 20 paintings were done on canvas and then installed on the cathedral’s ceiling, dome, and back wall.
All together, the works comprise a 160-foot mural and took 30 days to paint, according to Blizzard. They were completed by a team led byartist Adam Miller, who says the project interested him in part because “the scale and the speed of it seemed a bit insane.” Henry Hobson, who directed the video of the art installation embedded above, described the result as a classical space that had been “corrupted” by Miller’s depictions of the Diablo universe. (See more about the project in the making-of video below.)
The murals probably don’t fit in with the chapel’s existing paintings, depictions of the life of Christ by Flemish painterArnould de Vuez, but I wouldn’t really say that the space has beencorrupted, at least not by the demonic content of the artwork. As one example, Jan van Eyck’sThe Last Judgmentfrom the 1440s is way more gruesome than these concept art-like paintings: It features a pile of bodies being perforated and torn apart by demons, and according to The Met, may have served as “the doors to a tabernacle or reliquary shrine.”
Still, I imagine that Blizzard would’ve been crucified if it had mucked about in a French cathedral for Diablo 1 marketing purposes back in the ’90s, when thesatanic panichad more muscle. (I’m just assuming that “but they’refightingthe demons” wouldn’t have swayed the moral watchdogs of the time.) Today I suspect any arguments about the stunt would be to do with taste.
There’s a weird sweepstakes to go with the paintings: Players whoopt-in hereand reach max level in the Diablo 4 open beta later this month may be selected to have their likeness added to the mural. The prize has “an approximate retail value of Zero US Dollars,” say the official rules, but winners will get a photo of Miller painting them into the scene. Yay?
We’veliked what we’ve played of Diablo 4so far, so whether or not my tortured mug appears in a mural, I’m looking forward to the Diablo 4 beta. There are actually two beta periods this month, a closed beta for pre-orderers from March 17-20, and then an open beta for everyone from March 24-27—more details theDiablo 4 betas can be found here.
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Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the ’80s and ’90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call “boomer shooters” now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that’s right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he’s focused on the site’s news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.
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