Although developed by the now defunts Runic Games, the action-RPG from some of the key members behind Blizzard's Diablo series is headed to consoles thanks to a new port by the talented team over at Panic Button.

Torchlight II is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on September 3.



“We’ve discovered that the core mechanics featured in Torchlight II translate really well onto consoles,” says Andy Boggs, Technical Director at Panic Button. “It’s a solid multiplayer experience with fast-paced action and an almost endless progression system. Our team has been working hard on the console version to make sure that the combat feels just as fun and satisfying as it did on PC.”

We reviewed the game back when it first came out in 2012, noting, "Torchlight II succeeds in being a truly viable alternative to Diablo III. The action is faster and thicker and rewards are set to a quickened treadmill pace, resulting in an experience that is immediately rewarding and increasingly addictive."

As per the announcement the console version will feature enhanced controls and new UI alongside some new pets.

Runic Games has revealed that their in-house dev tools titled GUTS has been released to the wild, allowing eager modders to change "almost everything about Torchlight 2, from item and skill balance, to level layouts, animations, quests, and much more." Alongside the release of the new mod tools is a new launcher which allows you to choose just which mods you'd like to have active when adventuring across the lands.

When playing modded games, you can view your mod history, any previously played mods, and the impact disabling mods may have on your character.

We've also added a special tool to GUTS designed to convert pre-GUTS mods into the official mod format, with an eye toward making the transition much easier for our ambitious early modders.

We've tried to make the process as seamless as possible, with a focus on allowing modded multiplayer games with a minimum of fuss.

Earlier in the week we saw Runic Games officially add the Steam Workshop, a further testament to the companies quite accepting profile on modding, something few games are struggling with these days. For those looking to pimp out their game, you can check out the official blog which offers a Q&A with tools engineer Greg Brown as well as an in-depth wiki guide which can be found here.

Developer Runic Games has today revealed that the action RPG Torchlight 2 is now fully integrated into the Steam Workshop, offering players the chance to try out various new mods made by the community. Runic has also re-assured users that the in-house GUTS editor for Torchlight 2 will also be fully compatible with the new Steam Workshop, allowing mod developers the ability to "publish directly to Steam Workshop when you compile your mod, making it available immediately for others to play."

A new launcher synchronizes any mods you have subscribed to, and lets you customize their activation state and loading priority. In addition, when playing Internet games in the lobby, you will be able to filter modded games by mod combination, and with a single button click, subscribe to those mods. Torchlight II will then restart, synchronize them, and activate them before returning you to the game.

The Steam Workshop is also fully integrated with GUTS, the in-house editor for Torchlight II. You can publish directly to Steam Workshop when you compile your mod, making it available immediately for others to play. Mods that have already been made with GUTS can also be quickly imported into the Steam Workshop.

The Workshop launch has also introduced new content to the base game, for free, which includes:>

The NetherRealm tileset - new NetherRealm dungeons can be found via portals throughout the world

New Monsters

New armor sets

New weapons

New pets - including the Headcrab!

New endgame map content

Some additional new dungeons in New Game plus modes in large overworld areas

For those who are still on the fence will be happy to know a 50% off sale is currently under way to celebrate the launch of the Steam Workshop integration, which you can check out here.

According to a Twitter post by developer Runic Games, the acclaimed action RPG Torchlight II has passed one million units sold, a milestone achieved in under four months, compared to the 18 months it took the original Torchlight (thanks Polygon).

AusGamers scored Torchlight II a 9.0/10 in a review upon its launch last September. PC players not completely exhausted from weeks of holidays sales can pick up the game at half price for US$9.99 on Steam today as part of day thirteen of the Steam Holiday Sale.

With the release of Torchlight 2 yesterday, Runic Games has released a demo for those who aren't quite ready to part ways with their hard earned $20. The demo features a small slice of the action, however coincidentally the demo is actually the full product, just with a lock on where you can and can't go.

You can grab the demo locally from us to save you some bandwidth and time, and you can check out our review and what we thought of the latest hack-and-slash RPG title.

Runic Games has today announced that the highly anticipated hack-and-slash sequel Torchlight 2 is now finally available for purchase on various digital services. The new title will see players taking up arms to fight back the deadly forces that threaten the world, and offering a huge amount of loot to help accomplish the task.

The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets - and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands!

Torchlight II captures all the flavor and excitement of the original game - while expanding the world and adding the features players wanted most, including online and LAN co-op multiplayer. Torchlight II is fast, fun, and filled to the brim with action and loot. Adventure solo or online with your friends!

With the release of the game, Runic has also let us know that a demo is now available for download, though currently it only seems to be accessible on Steam, however hopefully we can get a local download soon.

If you haven't yet checked out our very fresh Torchlight 2 review, then head over to here to see our impressions of the RPG hack-and-slash.

The folks over at Runic Games are slowly counting down the hours until the release of the hotly anticipated sequel, Torchlight 2, and what better way then to conduct a Ask Me Anything on Reddit. Subjected to community questions, the developers have answered a range of questions, including plans on what will happen after the release of the game in terms of content.

Yes, we want to do more content post launch. For level design specifically, new map scrolls for endgame, phase beast portal rooms, and more variations of already existing levels so there is even more randomization where we feel it is beneficial. We will just have to wait and see how fans react, and what they ask for and try to accommodate if we can.

One of the many other interesting questions asked was why exactly the team sells their games for only $20, something that Max Schaefer answers quite well:

We sell for $20 because we want a bigger community, and for people all over the world to enjoy our game. Not everyone has $60 lying around. Plus, digital distribution, like on Steam, makes this more economically viable for a company like us. We couldn't make money selling $20 boxes only, but we'll do fine with this price because of the trend towards digital distribution.

With respect to piracy, a small company like ours isn't going to solve it. And the last thing we think is appropriate is to punish our honest customers for something other people are doing. We believe that if we put out a quality game at a fair price, there will be less incentive to pirate the game, and that those who do pirate it may decide to buy it down the road. That's our approach and we're sticking to it!

With plenty more discussions including why anti-piracy measures aren't effective, then head over to the official page for a great read on what to expect from Torchlight 2. You can also check out our fresh review of the game and what we thought of the rapidly clicking hack-and-slash title.

The hotly anticipated multiplayer sequel to Runic Games' well received debut action RPG Torchlight launches tomorrow on Steam, promising some mythical features such as offline single-player, LAN multiplayer and moddability, from the Seattle-based team that includes several of Diablo's original architects.

AusGamers had the good fortune of pre-launch access to Torchlight, and if you were a little underwhelmed by the recent genre blockbuster Diablo III, as our reviewer Dylan "Gameboffin" Burns was, then you'll probably be interested to hear his thoughts on this new US$19.99 contender.

If you enjoy clicking the left button of your mouse thousands of times in order to get pretty rewards on the screen, this is a no brainer – order a 4-pack and demand that your friends put their lives on pause!

Read our review to find out why.

As the days countdown to the long-awaited launch of the hotly anticipated Torchlight II, developer Runic Games has released the game's official soundtrack, as a free download.

Fans of the original Diablo games are particularly in for a treat, as among the many ex Blizzard North veterans at Seattle-based Runic, is composer Matt Ulemen, whom many will know as the bard behind the iconic tunes in the original Tristram.

The 120mb download can be found over on the official site, or mirrored here locally on AusGamers files.

Torchlight II launches in under 2 days, on September 21st 2012 and can presently be pre-ordered on Steam for US$19.99.

Runic Games has today finally announced the release date for the hotly anticipated hack and slash title, Torchlight 2, with the game being announced for release this September. The game will be expanding on the previous title, adding in LAN co-op, singleplayer and online multiplayer plus a range of new content including new classes.

Runic Games' CEO, Max Schaefer comments, "We worked incredibly hard to make sure we could release Torchlight II before Summer's official end. Development will continue right up until we ship, and we couldn't be happier to be putting the finishing touches on a great game. We want to get it to the fans as quickly as possible. Honestly, we can't wait."

As with the announcement of the date comes a new launch trailer which you can watch below (HD here).

Torchlight 2 will be available on the 20th of September on Steam, Perfect World, GamersGate, GameFly.

There's still no release date for the hotly anticipated Torchlight II, but we must be getting close, as the developers have created this tasty little infographic detailing the sequel's across-the-board content increases.

A blog post by Runic Games' President explains that "Torchlight II is close to 4x the scale of Torchlight 1 as far as assets go, and probably close to that as far as playtime", and that the launch price, at US$20, is the same.

Ideally, the multiplayer that everyone has asked for will further increase the longevity of the game (we certainly hope so!) These are all new assets as well ( some monsters and weapons return from Torchlight, but they have all been recreated, or in the case of some individual weapons and shields, updated and repainted )

The release window for Torchlight II is still US Summer, so the clock is ticking until the end of August. The game can be pre-ordered on Steam for US$19.99, and at the time of writing, the original Torchlight can be had for 40% off at US$8.99, with 11 hours left on the sale price. However, note that pre-ordered Torchlight II, currently rewards you with a copy of Torchlight for free anyway.

While many PC gamers are still clicking furiously in the battle against the Prime Evil in Diablo III, Blizzard's hugely successful behemoth potentially marks the beginning of a resurgence in the action RPG genre, with a wide variety of newcomers on the horizon, as noted in our recent feature article.

One of the "Seven Promising Upcoming Action RPGs That Aren't Diablo 3" that we spotlighted was of course Torchlight II, the upcoming sequel from Seattle-based Runic Games -- a studio of 30 people that actually features more of the original Diablo 1 and 2 developers than Blizzard's Diablo 3 team.

Two of those developers are brothers Max and Erich Schaefer who were not only two thirds of Blizzard North's founding fathers, but were also key to the design of both classic Diablo titles.

As Torchlight 2's still-unconfirmed release date looms, blogger Mark DeSanto over at I.Eat.Games (thanks on.net) sat down with Max Schaefer for a terrific interview that covers Runic's hopes and intentions for T2 and his reception of Diablo 3.

We recommend any eager ARPG fans read the whole thing, but here are a few choice snippets. On releasing their much smaller-budgeted game in the shadow of Diablo 3:

I think when someone like Blizzard comes out with something like Diablo 3—where they’re doing TV commercials on ESPN, real mass market stuff—they’re bringing in millions of new gamers into the gaming community, and that makes our audience bigger. We’re doing pre-sales on steam, and the day Diablo 3 release they shot up 40% and have stayed up. They’re bringing in lots of people into this genre, and people are becoming aware of what we’re doing through them. We’re kind of piggybacking on their marketing.

On Diablo 3's rocky launch:

Once they get things running smoothly, no one will ever remember they had a rocky start. We didn’t look at it and say “Hey we gotta make sure we don’t have this happen!” because obviously they were trying to prepare for it, they’re not dumb guys at all. It’s just impossible to prepare for that [much traffic]. We were actually relieved that the game didn’t suck. It’s a good game, and we want our genre to be hot.

Also I worked on all the previous Diablos, so emotionally for me it’s important that it not suck, you know, by association. I think we look at it as a successful launch, obviously, it’s the fastest selling PC game of all time.

On D3's art style departure:

I think the art looks great! It looks like Diablo, but they have their own style, which I think they should do. You know, they shouldn’t just try to make Diablo 2 again. They’ve got a totally new crew making the game, and its always best when people are doing their version of what they’re doing, so I’m glad they put their own stamp on the style.

On what the Diablo sequel was going to be before Blizzard North was folder:

You know, when I was working at Blizzard a million years ago we were working on Diablo 3 and it was an MMO. We were going to do the Diablo version of World of Warcraft. Blizzard obviously changed that pretty quickly, so we left to start Flagship Studios and we brought in a lot of the guys, so they rebooted with their own team.

On whether there are now too many upcoming ARPGs

I don’t think so at all. For a decided simple game, ARPGs are actually very complicated to create. I think that’s why there aren’t a lot of them. I don’t think it’s based on the market at all, because whenever they do come out they sell like hotcakes. Look at Diablo 3. It’s the fastest selling game on all time on the PC. It’s a fertile market and I don’t think one or two titles are going to saturate it.

There are so many FPS out there and no one thinks that genre is dead. Every one that’s good sells like crazy. We’re pretty confident that provided we can keep our quality up, there are more buyers than there are games in this genre.

Torchlight 2 is currently expected in "late summer 2012" (Australian Winter) with pre-orders already open at only US$19.99

If you've been hanging out for beta access to get a taste of the upcoming Torchlight II, the odds may be much better this weekend. Runic Games have updated the official Torchlight II site with word that their current beta session is coming to a close, but not before they suit up for a wide network stress test.

We'll be sending out many more beta codes to those who have already made their Runic Games Account. Haven't signed up yet? Go for it now! Creating your account is always your best chance to receive a beta invite - especially this weekend.

The Beta Weekend will start on Friday, May 18th at 11:00am PDT and go until Tuesday, May 22nd at 11:00am PDT. We will be staggering invitations to let participants know they have been chosen, but you will not be able to play until the start of the Beta Weekend on Friday. This is to help stagger downloading of the game client.

In Sydney time (AEST) That start date translates to Saturday May 19th at 04:00am and the end date to Wednesday May 23rd at 04:00am.

There's no strict guarantee you'll get in, but if you want to be in with a shot, best head over to torchlight2game.com soon.

Runic has today announced that the upcoming hack-and-slash sequel Torchlight 2 is now available for pre-order on Steam.

Torchlight II is now available to pre-purchase on Steam! Act now and the original Torchlight to play right now!

The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets - and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands!

While no actual release date has yet been announced, an expected 2012 release is still in the works.

Runic is offering any Steam pre-orders a free copy of the original Torchlight, which will hopefully keep you entertained until the release. You can also purchase the game through Perfect World, who are offering a beta key into the Neverwinter Nights Online MMO for those who purchase through them, as well as a No-DRM policy similar to GOG.com.

You can check out the opening trailer below if you didn't catch it last week (HD here), or swing by our game page for the latest news and screenshots.

Runic Games has today released the opening cinematic for the upcoming hack-and-slash sequel, Torchlight 2, helping players fill in the gaps.

This particular cinematic opens the game, filling in the story between the end of Torchlight and the beginning of your hero's quest in Torchlight II. Art Director Jason Beck created all the storyboards, and Klei Entertainment animated the scenes with sound effects. JD Wiker wrote the script, and Matt Uelmen assisted with sound effects and provided the score.

While the reaction to the new opening cinematic has been quite positive, a few eager players aren't quite as happy, with the Torchlight 2 forums and YouTube comments clearly showing some distaste in the parchment style art. Runic Games has come out with a statement regarding why they chose the specific art style and not something similar to your average CGI cinematic.

When we started talking about doing cinematics we also had to be pragmatic... we couldn't go big-budget CG, nor did we want to go with in-game cutscenes. We landed on doing something that was heavily stylized and 2D. I think part of the hope is that going that route would be an unexpected solution that also meshed with our restrictions.

Some of the inspirations included the opening 2D sequence in Kung-Fu Panda, the cinematics from Heavenly Sword, the flashback God of War 3 cinematics, and Samurai Jack. With that sort of style in mind, doing it all in Flash became a really attractive option.

Check out the trailer below (click here for HD goodness) showing off the very cool parchment art style that Runic Games chose, as well as head over to our game page for more on news and screenshots.

Torchlight 2 has yet to revise a new release date, with only "2012" as the current stated goal and will be available on PC.

Last week's long-awaited announcement of an official release date for Diablo 3 has a lot of people excited, but the game's monumentally high level of anticipation has to be somewhat intimidating for their competitors.

One of the most obviously affected studios would be independent developer Runic Games, who's 32 man team have been working on Torchlight 2 (a multiplayer sequel to their budget-priced dungeon crawler Torchlight) since 2008.

It's not a huge stretch to correlate Torchlight's success with a longing for more Diablo-style action (unfulfilled since the last D2 expansion in 2001) and with Torchlight 2 promising more of the same with added multiplayer, it was seen by a lot of fans as something that would tide them over until Diablo 3 arrived -- fans who are now concerned of the fate of the delayed indie game in the shadow of Blizzard's behemoth.

Responding to those concerns however, the reaction of Runic Games is anything but sour grapes, with the crew that includes several of the original developers of Diablo and Diablo II offering well-wishing words to the Blizzard team in a recent blog post.

Congratulations to the Diablo III team for announcing a release date! That's got to be a such a feeling of relief to be on the home stretch. We're excited to hear the news, and we can't wait to play.

To our fans:
We know a lot of you are worried about us. We've heard what you're saying, and sure we've had similar discussions. But we began making the first Torchlight in 2008 when development on Diablo III was already underway. We didn't let that be a reason that we couldn't make an RPG. We made the commitment to create a game we loved to play. That's what's important to us, and that's why we go to work every day.

Diablo III is due on PC on May 15th 2012. Torchlight 2 has yet to revise a new release date, with only "2012" as the current stated goal.

The race is on as to who will release first: Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2, and in the build up to the finish line, the Torchlight team have revealed a "top secret" piece of artwork that has been in development, leaving us wondering why they're worrying about this now, and not finishing the damn game! (Just kidding guys, obviously.)

"This is actually the second iteration of of this particular cover. The goal with this version was to more prominently feature our player classes in a very comic book style layout," explains concept artist, Kyle Cornelius. "The team has done an excellent job of creating a diverse group of heroes, each with unique personalities, and we thought it best that they be the focus."

Click here to grab yourself a copy of the artwork for desktop purposes, or the like, and click here for a better look at the artwork right here on AusGamers.

Given the void of announcements recently, those following Torchlight 2 closely were likely already expecting this news, but Runic Games have now officially confirmed that the game won't be seeing a 2011 release after all.

In a blog post on the game's official site, Runic's Travis Baldree explains why they need a little more time and also seems to acknowledge that it might not be the best idea to drop their budget-priced indie title at a time when we're all preoccupied with a huge stable of triple-A games.

The first Torchlight was released in record time, but it had plenty of issues that a little more development could have resolved. We didn't have the resources at the time to give Torchlight that treatment. Right at this moment though, we do have those resources for the sequel, and we feel strongly that we should apply them to make this the best game we can make and hopefully one that you'll enjoy and continue to want to play in the future. We've probably had 18 months of full development time on it so far - not excessively long yet, as far as that goes. The amount of time we need to take it the rest of the way is relatively small.

We feel pretty safe in saying that if you enjoyed Torchlight at all, this sequel is superior in every respect. Right now our job is to ensure that the quality level is consistent all the way to the end.

Besides, you're all playing Skyrim right now anyway, aren't you? Or Battlefield 3? Or Uncharted 3? Or Saints Row 3? Or Arkham City? Or Skyward Sword? Or Minecraft? Or Modern Warfare 3? Or Dark Souls? Or Assassin's Creed Revelations?

No new release window has been given, so it's going to be interesting to see if the Torchlight 2 team -- which sports several ex-Blizzard North veterens -- can still beat the very similar and hugely anticipated Diablo 3 to market.

Some more good news to come out of PAX Prime 2011 in Seattle over the weekend is word from Runic Games on the price point of Torchlight II. The sequel to the 2009 action RPG adds the much-requested cooperative multiplayer functionality and will launch at the same budget price as it's predecessor - US$19.99.

Based on the pricing of the original Torchlight (which is still priced evenly on Steam across all regions), it's reasonably safe to presume that there won't be any disparity between US and Australian pricing.

“It’s always been our goal to provide exceptional value for the price,” says Max Schaefer, CEO of Runic Games. “Everyone who wants to play Torchlight II will be able to comfortably afford to do so, and they’ll be able to play with their friend online or via a LAN, or play single player offline, all with no further purchases.”

Also revealed for PAX is the fourth and final player class, the Embermage

The mysterious Embermage joins the previously announced Engineer, Outlander, and Berserker classes. This marks the culmination of a month long buildup introducing each class to players.

Torchlight 2 is in development at Runic Games by an independant team that includes several original Diablo/Diablo II developers from Blizzard North. Runic still don't have a specific release date for us, only that it is still due "for PC in 2011".

While droves of action RPG fans wait with baited-breathe for the launch of Diablo 3, let's not forget that there are some other upcoming titles in the genre that also hold a lot of promise. One such game is Torchlight 2, the forthcoming multiplayer sequel from Runic Games, the Seattle-based studio formed by the co-founders of Blizzard North -- Diablo's original creators.

Runic have let us know that they have more new information online regarding Torchlight 2, courtesy of a couple of developer blogs on their official site. The new details offered describe "how the Overworld works, events, pathing, randomization, and just how big the world of Torchlight II is".

Click over to torchlight2game.com for Making the World of Torchlight II : By Lead Level Designer Patrick Blank and Level Design and Art Q&A with Patrick Blank and Art Director Jason Beck.

Torchlight 2 is expected (but not yet confirmed) for a July 2011 launch on Mac and PC.