What Diablo 3 classes are game developers playing as?

The PC Gamer Word Dungeon hasn't stopped echoing the phrase "What Diablo class are you playing?" for months.

The PC Gamer Word Dungeon hasn't stopped echoing the phrase "What Diablo class are you playing?" for months. It's a constant inquiry. We talked about it at length at the end of last week's podcast. A few of us still haven't made up our minds. With precious time left to make a decision (and hopefully helping you to relieve the same burden), we bugged some developers. We asked Notch, Runic Games, Blizzard themselves, and others: what're you rollin'?

BLIZZARD

Barbarian - Jay Wilson, Diablo III Game Director

“Because no one in Diablo III breaks things better! Being a Barbarian is leaping into the thick of the fighting, being tough enough to take as good as you get, and never being afraid of anything.“

RUNIC GAMES

(creators of Torchlight II)

Witch Doctor - Max Schaefer, CEO, Runic Games

"I'm rolling a Witch Doctor because it's the weirdest class. I usually end up just wanting to mash things, so I'll go Barbarian eventually, but my first will be a Witch Doctor for sure."

Barbarian - Travis Baldree, President, Runic Games

"I was going to say a Wizard, but who am I kidding. I'm going to have to take a Barbarian out first time. Smashing things until they aren't things anymore is a special pleasure, and I really, really like axes."

MOJANG

(creators of Minecraft, duh)

Demon Hunter - Markus "Notch" Persson

"Surely the best way to fight the hordes of hell is to not even get close to them? Thankfully loot is individual, so I might actually get some equipment this time."

SONY ONLINE

(creators of PlanetSide 2, EverQuest)

Monk - John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment

“I'm going Monk. I love the hand-to-hand combat and getting up close and personal. I'm also going to see how many hours I can stay up and play! I'll be on at midnight for sure!”

POPCAP

(creators of Solitaire Blitz, Plants vs. Zombies, rainbows)

Monk - John Vechey, PopCap Co-Founder and Franchise Studio Director

"I am the Monk. Why? Because monks are the most fun in any RPG. They're all like 'I PUNCH ZEN THROUGH YOUR S$&*!'"

Barbarian - Jeff Green, PopCap Editorial and Social Media Director

"My go-to in Diablo 2 was the Necromancer, who had his undead minions do the killing for him while he sat around and counted his money. I was part of the Diablo 1%. But, like John, I too like hitting things, and the Barbarian in Diablo 3 has a satisfying bone-crunching fury to him. Honestly, though, I'll play the game all the way through with every class, because I'm just that sad."

ACTIVISION

Monk - Dan Amrich, Social Media Manager

"I loved the Amazon in Diablo II, so the Demon Hunter looks great...but since it's a female avatar and my wife likes her characters to be representative, she's probably going to claim that instead. So I'll probably go for the Monk—I play rogues in WoW, so this matches well with my preference for fast, devastating melee attacks. And who knows, maybe I'll finally learn how to heal."

UBER ENTERTAINMENT

(creators of Super Monday Night Combat)

Monk - Chandana "Eka" Ekanayake, Art Director and Executive Producer

"I gotta go with Monk for his lightning quick reflexes and bare-knuckled-spirit-powered fists of whoop-assness. Playing Monk is the closest you can get to experiencing the soul glow power of Bruce Leroy. It's the proper choice."

Wizard - John Comes, Creative Director

"I'm going to play a Wizard because I like money, and power, and he's got both. And you know it."

GASLAMP GAMES

(creators of Dungeons of Dredmor)

Witch Doctor or Wizard - Nicholas Vining, Technical Director, Lead Programmer

"It's a toss-up between Witch Doctor and Wizard. On the one hand, I'm a sucker for voodoo references; on the other hand, there's a lot to love about time manipulation. The ideal solution is that the game industry stops discriminating against voodoo practitioners and gives them access to time manipulation magic, but until that day comes we'll have to make tough decisions."

GAS POWERED GAMES

(creators of Age of Empires Online)

Barbarian - Chris Taylor, CEO and Founder

"Sadly my answer is Barbarian, because you have to be a Barbarian in real life to raise 4 boys. When I was in the beta, I played Barbarian too. You'd think I would want to reach out, try something new. My experimentation years are behind me now; I just want to smash monsters in the mouth and grab the loot."

HI-REZ STUDIOS

(creators of Tribes: Ascend)

Demon Hunter - Scott Zier, Lead Designer, Tribes: Ascend

"I'll start with the Demon Hunter. I'm a big fan of the agility and speed, and ranged DPS is kind of my thing."

Wizard - Joe Rougeux, Senior Software Engineer, Tribes: Ascend

"Definitely gonna start out with a Wizard, stacking MF to get geared up for Inferno!"

Wizard - Sean McBride, Art Director, Tribes: Ascend

"The Wizard. I love the utility that the class brings to the table in a group setting. Her awesome ability to nuke huge groups of enemies at once also is a big draw for me."

Monk - Adam Moore, Sr. Artist, Tribes: Ascend

"The Monk. His combination of both agile DPS and support abilities make him a cornerstone of the group play."

All photographs courtesy of interviewees.