The company has started issuing the first wave of invitations to participate in the testing process and is planning to add more participants over the course of the beta test. While enjoying an early look at the game, beta testers will provide valuable feedback as they help Blizzard Entertainment test server stability and hardware.
"This closed beta test is an important milestone for us as we enter the final stages of development on Diablo III," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Our goal is to create the best action role-playing game experience to date, building on everything we've learned since the release of Diablo II and incorporating the powerful features of the new Battle.net platform. We hope players enjoy participating in the beta test and we look forward to hearing their feedback."
In the Diablo III closed beta test, participants will be able to fight their way through part of Act I as any of the five hero classes -- barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, and demon hunter -- and go head-to-skull against the Skeleton King, taking him on alone or playing cooperatively with other adventurers. They'll also get to meet up with some of the artisans, followers, and other key characters from Sanctuary, and try out the game's skill and crafting systems.
Diablo III will be localized and released in multiple languages; however, the beta will be English-only. Still no details on a release date, pricing, supported languages, etc.
About Diablo III
Diablo III will continue the epic Diablo storyline, with players playing their role in the ongoing struggle to save the world of Sanctuary from the corrupting forces of the Burning Hells. Diablo III will also be the definitive action role-playing game, with players adventuring through rich and varied settings, engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, growing in experience and ability, and acquiring items of incredible power. As the sequel to Diablo II, the game will feature the easy-to-use interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. Designed from the ground up to leverage the power of Battle.net, Diablo III will also provide gamers with industry-leading matchmaking and communication tools; convenient character- and inventory-management options; and the Diablo III auction house, which will support a robust player-driven economy.
Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.
When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram's Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells – and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.