Blizzard Aiming For Q3 Diablo 3 Beta, 2011 Release

During an earnings call this afternoon, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime revealed the company's goals for testing and releasing the much-anticipated new chapter in the Diablo series. "[Morhaime said], 'On the Diablo 3 front, I'm pleased to report that we began internal, company-wide testing last week. The game is looking great and we are currently targeting a Q3 launch for external beta testing. The development team is working hard to try to launch Diablo 3 this year, but I want to be clear. We do not have an official release date or window yet.' Details on the external beta are currently extremely limited, so we don't know the scope of how many testers will be involved or what the beta will include. It's hard to imagine that anything could match the gargantuan beta for StarCraft 2, but Blizzard has said that Diablo 3 will have plenty of online functionality, and that sort of functionality needs plenty of testers to succeed."

Comments

Diablo 3 Forever?

[Flipstylee]

The development team is working hard to try to launch Diablo 3 this year, but I want to be clear. We do not have an official release date or window yet.

I don't care either way, when it comes then very nice, but could we hold off on these sort of posts until, say, a few months before it comes out in 2014?
Call me troll i don't care, i'm just sick of hyping up the hype that leads to endless post-pones that have been the norm in recent years.

Re:How reliable?

[Anonymous Coward]

... I really hope Blizzard actually gets this release out on time. Past history doesn't give me much hope. I would love to be playing it this year, but ...

... I agree. I'd like to be playing it, but then again, I have a wife and a mortgage ...

awesome!

[larry bagina]

I can't wait to find out what kind of exciting new DRM I have to fight just to play the game!