All Articles: Diablo III

After missing a late 2011 launch, Blizzard announced that Diablo III would be released in early 2012. It looks like that release date is also no more as Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime revealed that the game’s new launch window is Spring 2012. The devil must have made them do it!

The news emerged from Activision’s most recent quarterly conference call and is likely due to the extensive changes Blizzard wanted to make to the game after receiving feedback from the Diablo III beta. Here’s what Morhaime had to say about the delay:

Given the popularity of the Action/RPG genre and the keen interest in Diablo III, we expect this launch to be a big opportunity for Blizzard. We can also confirm that we are targeting a Q2 launch for Diablo III. We expect to announce more details about the release schedule in the coming weeks.

So it’s coming in the Spring now. And this time they really really mean it! I guess we’ll see.

I had a wonderful girlfriend Linda. Together we drove to a small cabin in the mountains. It seems an archeologist had come to this remote place to translate and study his latest find: Necronomiconexmortis. The Book of the Dead. Bound in human flesh and inked in blood, this ancient Samarian text contained bizarre burial rights, funeral incantations, and demon resurrection passages, it was never meant for the world of the living. The book awoke something dark in the woods, something evil.

Sorry, that’s a different book of unspeakable horrors written in human blood. But the sentiment is the same and Diablo III‘s opening cinematic, revealed last night at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, will definitely stir up your demon-killing bloodlust. The battle against the legions of Hell begins sometime in early 2012. I can’t wait, can you?

Hit the jump to view the trailer. (more…)

Were you hoping that Blizzard would release Diablo III this year? Well, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime just dashed your dreams by announcing the RPG now has an official release window of “early 2012.”

But it’s not so bad as the tongue-in-cheek press release that accompanied this announcement more than makes up for it:

Despite a sterling record of always hitting its release targets, Blizzard Entertainment today announced that the expected launch window for Diablo III, the next title in the company’s critically acclaimed series of action role-playing games, will be moving into early 2012.

Very amusing. Of course, Diablo III never actually had a late 2011 release date, so it didn’t move anywhere. But it’s nice to pretend. And pretend Mike Morhaime does.

“With every game we make, the temptation is always very strong to launch as soon as possible. However, we didn’t put so many years of work into Diablo III to release a game that was almost ready,” Morhaime said.

In response to the 2012 release date, Blizzard will extend the Diablo III beta, which began on September 20.

The fiery gates leading to the Burning Hells have begun to swing open.

With those words, Blizzard has officially opened the Diablo III closed beta. If you’ve been chosen to participate in the beta, your invite should be coming soon. If you weren’t chosen, take heed, for Blizzard will release more beta keys as the test continues. That’s right, take heed. I’m setting the mood here people.

Naturally, feedback from the beta will be used to shape the finalized game. Best of all, the Diablo III beta doesn’t come with a non-disclosure agreement, so testers are free to talk about the beta with anyone they want.

If your beta warrior needs a mystical guide in their quest against the forces of evil, Blizzard doesn’t have a wizened old man on standby, but they have posted a Diablo III Beta FAQ to answer all your questions.

Forsooth, Diablo III is almost ready to be released!