Diablo 3 is set to feature at the GDC in 2012 which takes place between Monday 5 March and Friday 9 March in San Francisco. Blizzard’s Art Director Christian Lichtner will be discussing the art direction in Diablo 3, which by that point will be released, we hope.
Christian is quoted on the GDC site:
[BLUE]Making a sequel to the award winning classic Diablo 2 poses many artistic challenges. While many games in today’s market try to top each other with the latest and greatest technology that inherently tends to drive the art direction – we decided to take a different approach. Our aim for Diablo 3 was to create a painterly stylized world that takes full advantage of its fixed camera, while finding ways to enhance and support our core gameplay goals. Ultimately, making sure that players in Diablo 3 suspend their sense of disbelief and become fully engulfed in the experience of saving the world of sanctuary.[/BLUE]