Diablo III has stirred up some serious emotions in people since its release back in May. From complaints about the “always-on” DRM requirement to concerns about the end game to a virtual slapfight between the developers and the creator of the first Diablo, the community has seen it all. But that hasn’t stopped people from buying it in droves as Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently revealed the game has sold over 10 million copies:
“Year-to-date, Diablo III is the top-selling game overall based on an estimated digital and retail sales in North America and Europe. Diablo III has already sold an excess of 10 million copies, proving once again that investing in key talent and our top franchise is worth the wait.”
Mike Morhaime, Blizzard’s President, was particuarly pleased with the sales figures. He even went so far as to announced an expansion for the game during the Q&A portion of Activision’s quarterly financial report:
Stephen Ju, Analyst from Credit Suisse AG: “[T]he prior iterations of Diablo seem to have had an expansion pack released about 1 year after the game itself came out. So wondering if you have anything you can share in terms of whether or not you have a similar plan for Diablo III to keep your users engaged.”
Morhaime: “[W]e do have a plan — an expansion planned for Diablo. I don’t have any timeline to talk about. I think that the most important thing for us always comes down to the quality of the expansion and the gameplay, and so that will be a big factor in terms of driving our schedule.”
As with all things Blizzard, the Diablo III expansion will be officially announced when they’re good and ready.
