It’s been almost three years since the original announcement of Diablo III came long and now it has finally been made clear by Blizzard that the action RPG will not hit shelves before early 2012. Gamers were expecting the title to be made available later this year but the developer has disclosed that it plans to utilize the additional time to extend its closed beta test. This spells good news for those who are waiting for a chance to participate in the beta.
The ongoing closed beta test that commenced on September 20 has since then, apparently added ‘more testers than initially projected.’ Gamers who wish to partake in this test, must have an active Battle.net account with any Blizzard game attached to it. They can then visit the account management section to receive a chance to participate in the beta test. Blizzard has announced that it will be putting up further schedules and details on the Diablo III community website.
Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard, stated, “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. 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.”
Earlier this month, it was also declared that the game will make use of PayPal accounts so as to carry out in-game transactions. This feature will soon be made available as a payment option on Battle.net in many regions around the world.
The early 2012 window for the release of Diablo III might not be good news for diehard fans of the franchise, but this announcement will come as a breather to those who are waiting to participate in the beta.