Blizzard Entertainment announced last Friday 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.
"While this news might not be a complete surprise, I know that many of you were hopeful that Diablo III would ship this year. We were too." said said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "However, this week we pulled together people from all of the teams involved with the game to decide whether we felt it would be ready before the end of December, and we grudgingly came to the conclusion that it would not. Ultimately, we feel that to deliver an awesome Diablo sequel that lives up to our expectations and yours as well, we should take a little more time and add further polish to a few different elements of the game."
"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," said Morhaime. "The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we're taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers."
Blizzard will use the additional time to extend the Diablo III closed beta test, which began September 20, potentially adding more testers than initially projected. Players who have an active Battle.net account with any Blizzard game attached to it should visit Battle.net account management to opt in for a chance to participate in the beta test.
Interested in signing up for an advance look at Diablo's coming invasion of Sanctuary? To be eligible to participate in the Diablo III beta test, you need an active Battle.net account with any Blizzard game title attached to it. If you don't already have an account, it's easy to create one. Once you've set up a Battle.net account, or if you've already got one, you can access it by visiting
us.battle.net/en/ and clicking the Account button on the upper right.
To opt into the beta, click the Games & Codes section of your Account Management page, and then select the
Beta Profile Settings option from the drop-down menu. You'll be prompted to download the System Check beta opt-in application; running it will opt you in to the Diablo III beta. If your system specifications change, you can run the System Check application again to update your information.
Unfortunately, running the System Check application doesn't guarantee a spot in the Diablo III beta...
About Diablo III
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.