Diablo 4’s Marketing Team Probably Didn’t Count On NYC Becoming An Actual Hellscape

Diablo 4 launched in wide release this week, leading many dungeon-crawling fans to pick up their daggers and scythes and start hunting the demonic hordes across Sanctuary. Blizzard paid good money for a prominent ad spot in New York City, but world events made the evil visage of Lillith look even more sinister than intended.

The billboard reads “Welcome to Hell, New York” with the image of Lillith. But as captured by Nick Newman on Twitter, the image takes on an eerie look when juxtaposed against the hazy orange sky.

New York City, like much of the northeastern coast of the United States, has been enveloped in a cloud of smoke that traveled from wildfires in Canada. The moving cloud has been especially thick in New York City, which briefly became the world’s most polluted city. The air quality in the city and elsewhere on the east coast was designated as unhealthy, and public health officials warned that the conditions were not safe to do strenuous activity or exercise outdoors. If you are in one of the affected areas, be sure to consult your local health officials.

Obviously Blizzard couldn’t have anticipated the wildfires or smoke cloud, so this is a coincidence. But it made for a striking image, at least. For the time being, it’s probably best for New Yorkers to stay indoors, and while there, maybe they can grind up their Barbarian a few levels? Just an idea.