This year, Diablo 3 was the upcoming Blizzard title ners around the world were most excited about, and Blizzcon 2010 revealed the Demon Hunter, Diablo III’s final class, as well as the game’s new PvP Arena system. At this point, we know pretty much everything about Diablo III except a release date.
Don’t despair, though: it seems like Diablo III will be a 2011 release? Why? Because at the close of Blizzcon, Blizzard officially announced that Diablo III would be entering a semi-public beta, with 1000 of the attendees handed out beta keys for the upcoming third installment of Blizzard’s classic hack-and-slash franchise.
Let’s put this in perspective. Back in 2000, Blizzard announced the open beta for Diablo II, and the game was released two months later. When Starcraft II went into open beta, the beta period lasted about 3-5 months.
My guess? We’re looking at a sumer 2011 release for Diablo III, based on the beta keys being handed out to Blizzcon attendees now. Sure, that’s far off… but considering I was worried Blizzard might well push Diablo III’s release to 2012, a release 7-8 months from now is like a gift from the lord or destruction himself.