All Articles: Diablo III

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.

David Brevik, creator of Diablo and Diablo II, expressed some of his feelings on Diablo III to IncGamers during Gamescom.

“I have very mixed emotions about it. On one hand I am sad that people haven’t enjoyed Diablo because it’s a love, a passion, and it’s obvious people still have a giant love and passion for Diablo… That makes me feel great.

I am sad because people are outraged and… some of the decisions they have made are not the decisions I would make, and there have been changes in philosophy and that hasn’t gone over very well…

I am also a little happy… I hate to say, [but] it shows that the people that were involved in Diablo really did matter, and so I am happy that it has come to light that how talented that group was, how unique and special… when the people leave the game changes, and it shows how critical people are in this industry.”

So basically, to me, what he’s saying is: they made some design choices I wouldn’t have, and people are upset, and while that is a bummer, I am actually sort of pleased, because it means that what I built, and what I made, was important and meant something. Right? General idea?

Well, some of the Diablo III devs were pretty hurt over it, and had a public exchange via Facebook (which was captured by Reddit). Click the image above to enlarge it and cringe a bunch.

Since this argument needed more social media avenues, former Diablo II producer Mark Kern jumped in on Twitter: “Gotta say, that Jay Wilson, never having been at Blizzard for D1 and D2 and never having met Dave Brevik, has no place to say what he did. Dave Brevik created 2 genre-busting, award winning, world-loved Diablo games. Jay Wilson has done ____ with Diablo 3. Fill in the blanks. Blizzard arrogance has reached new heights.”

Facebook and Twitter have made it easier than ever for people to stick their feet directly into their mouths. Do not pass go, do not reach Paragon level.

[Source: IGN]

For people who are still playing Diablo III – not just playing it, but grinding themselves into dust by leveling up half a dozen characters to level 60 – is there any hope for you once you hit that ceiling? Do you find yourselves kicking the dust around, wishing you could increase your Magic Find to 300% without swapping gear mid-fight?

First of all, I didn’t even know people did that until I read about the new Paragon system. But how does the new Paragon system – which goes 100 levels past level 60 – work, exactly?

Well, first of all, any experience gained past level 60 counts towards Paragon levels, each of which will reward you with “Core stats such as Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Vitality in amounts similar to what you’d gain from a normal level” as well as “3% Magic Find and 3% Gold Find.” In case you didn’t feel like doing the math, that caps you off at 300% Magic Find and Gold Find.

For all the gruesome details, check this blog post at Battle.net. If you’re not a hardcore Diablo III player, most of it will seem like jargon. But if you are, and 60 levels wasn’t enough for you, you just hit the jackpot.

Blizzard plans to reveal more about the Paragon system, including a launch date, soon.

Blizzard has announced that the Diablo III real-money auction house is now open for business in North America and Australia. Accessing the auction house is a piece of cake. All you have to do is click the “Auction House” button of the far left side of the campaign screen.

Blizzard has promised that more information on the impending European and South American launches of the auction house will be available soon.

More information about the real-money auction house can be found at Battle.net.