When Diablo III was first unveiled at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event, fan reaction to the long-awaited sequel was mixed. Some gamers saw the game's 3D overhaul and smattering of bright colors to be a refreshing change of pace from the series' traditionally grim color palette. However, a certain segment of the fanbase considered the changes to the demonic dungeon crawler's visage downright blasphemous.

　　That displeasure quickly spawned an online petition calling on Blizzard to change the game's art direction to be "more coherent and familiar" with the bleak, gothic vibe of the original. As of press time, more than 52,000 signatures have been added to the petition, which also seeks to do away with "cartoonish" elements of the character and level design.

　　Now the game's lead designer has weighed in on the controversy. Speaking with MTV's Multiplayer, Jay Wilson quashed the petitioner's hopes, saying, "There's no going back now." Wilson explained the entire Blizzard team is happy with the style of the game in its present form, and they will not be changing it for the final release.

　　As for the reasons behind the art style, Wilson said he wanted the game to stand out from a recent flood of visually drab titles like Gears of War. The colors will also allow the developers to mix up the environments players find themselves in, and they serve an important gameplay function as well.

　　"When you have 30 creatures on screen--and four or five different types--target prioritization is a factor," Wilson said. "You need to be able to tell those things apart fast, and you can't do that when your world is gray and your creatures are gray."

　　Regardless of the game's newfound visual diversity, Wilson says the next trip to the Diablo universe will still have an edge.

　　"In terms of tone, [people unhappy with the art style] will find the game as dark as any of the previous ones and in some ways darker," Wilson said. "And I think that's probably, hopefully, enough to satisfy them."

　　As is typical for recently announced Blizzard games, Diablo III has no release window yet, other than "when it's finished." For more on the game, check out GameSpot's coverage from the Blizzard Invitational unveiling.