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Diablo III Beta Coming Before October, Finished Game Might Arrive By Year's End [UPDATED]

Try to keep your composure. This is Blizzard we're talking about. Oh, screw it. We're excited.


 Diablo III by year's end? Be still my heart.
 Diablo III by year's end? Be still my heart.
UPDATE: There's been some confusion over Blizzard's reference to dropping the Diablo III beta during the third quarter of 2011. I'd assumed Blizzard meant the calendar year quarter, which meant July through September, but I wanted to confirm this with Blizzard. 

"The Q3 reference in today’s earning's call was a calendar quarter," said a company representative. "We're aiming to launch the Diablo III beta between July 1st and September 30th. Please keep in mind that it's our current goal, and of course that can change as development continues."

--


Let's keep this one short 'n sweet: a Diablo III beta is coming. It's coming in third quarter 2011, which means sometime before September 30, when Activision Blizzard's third quarter ends.

"We began internal, company-wide testing this week," said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime on the Activision Blizzard quarterly call this afternoon.

Betas are important, but betas don't last forever. When are we going to play the finished thing?

"The development team is working hard to try and launch Diablo III this year," said Morhaime.

Unlike basically other game in Activision's lineup, however, Blizzard does not have to commit to release dates. Diablo III is no different, which is why Blizzard is non-committal about the release date.

"We will not compromise the quality of the game in order to hit a window," he concluded.    
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patrickklepek

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 Diablo III by year's end? Be still my heart.
 Diablo III by year's end? Be still my heart.
UPDATE: There's been some confusion over Blizzard's reference to dropping the Diablo III beta during the third quarter of 2011. I'd assumed Blizzard meant the calendar year quarter, which meant July through September, but I wanted to confirm this with Blizzard. 

"The Q3 reference in today’s earning's call was a calendar quarter," said a company representative. "We're aiming to launch the Diablo III beta between July 1st and September 30th. Please keep in mind that it's our current goal, and of course that can change as development continues."

--


Let's keep this one short 'n sweet: a Diablo III beta is coming. It's coming in third quarter 2011, which means sometime before September 30, when Activision Blizzard's third quarter ends.

"We began internal, company-wide testing this week," said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime on the Activision Blizzard quarterly call this afternoon.

Betas are important, but betas don't last forever. When are we going to play the finished thing?

"The development team is working hard to try and launch Diablo III this year," said Morhaime.

Unlike basically other game in Activision's lineup, however, Blizzard does not have to commit to release dates. Diablo III is no different, which is why Blizzard is non-committal about the release date.

"We will not compromise the quality of the game in order to hit a window," he concluded.    
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tinodz

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Edited By tinodz

Hurry up damn game :/

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Tesla

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Edited By Tesla

I need more Diablo now!

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sharpcypher

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Edited By sharpcypher

I hope so.

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Hot_Karl

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No way this is happening...right?

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MisterDunlap

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Edited By MisterDunlap

Okay, that's awesome.

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StrikeALight

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Edited By StrikeALight

Cannot wait.

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Commisar123

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ha

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Undeadpool

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Edited By Undeadpool

I think if this game winds up getting announced, my bank account is just going to go and kill itself. It might as well at that point.

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FesteringNeon

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Edited By FesteringNeon

oh

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Jackel2072

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Edited By Jackel2072

my friend refuses to give blizzard anymore money until they give him Diablo III. you can tell he is really sweating em...

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ReyGitano

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Edited By ReyGitano

I'll be there! I've been waiting for this game for the majority of my life.

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Mijati

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Edited By Mijati

End of the year - No surprise there with the date then

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Slaker117

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Edited By Slaker117

Beta coming January of next year? Awesome!

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endaround

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Edited By endaround

Betas don't have to last forever, but Blizzard betas can last along time.  WC3 was like 18 months in beta.

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Spoonybard37

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Edited By Spoonybard37

Oh SNAP!

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rand

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Edited By rand

Hurry Blizzard we need this!

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ez123

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Edited By ez123

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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Solh0und

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Edited By Solh0und

I might need to buy a new PC now.

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Vexxan

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The pieces are moving...!

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FuzzYLemoN

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Edited By FuzzYLemoN

OSHI-
Wasn't expecting it this year, but YES PLEASE.

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MrMazz

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Edited By MrMazz

where do i sell my soul to get this?

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animateria

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Edited By animateria

The end of the rainbow is near!




Also rainbow shitting unicorns are awesome.
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Hef

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Edited By Hef

Ooooh I'm really looking forward to some dungeon crawling this winter...hopefully.

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Rhombus_Of_Terror

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It'll be for 2012. Always.

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ChickenPants

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Edited By ChickenPants

One of my favourite series ever. Still regularly play Diablo II to this day. Been waiting for this for 10 years. Can't wait..

Still think it will be a 2012 release but if it makes for a better quality product that's ok with me.

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fjor

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ok

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TheSmashing

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Edited By TheSmashing

 Runic will have made Torchlight 2 before Diablo 3's release. sigh 

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Yummylee

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Edited By Yummylee
@ez123 said:
" AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH "
I concur.
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Zabant

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Edited By Zabant

Diablo III beating mass effect 3 to market will irk me indeed.

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UselessNinjaMan

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Edited By UselessNinjaMan
@MattSchwabby: Pffft, no! Get them both <.<
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ceno

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Edited By ceno

No way it's out by end of year. This is Blizzard.

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MudMan

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Edited By MudMan

Yeeeeah, so what are the chances that the Beta uncovers something gamebreaking that needs a significant rebuilding and a second beta to fix and this slips into 2010? Bets anyone? No? Nobody? Oh, well...

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koobz

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I am going to click on a bunch of things between now and release so that I will be prepared.

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Edited By MarioBoza

Ive never played a Diablo game but I have played games like Torchlight and loved it. Can anyone recommend me a good starting point in the Diablo Universe were I can start playing and pick up the necessary story before playing Diablo 3?

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HarrySound

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Edited By HarrySound

big E3 news...it's coming to 360 too.....o wait no, they dont need microsofts money


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papercut

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Edited By papercut

I believe the might in the title should be spelled in all caps. 

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snakeeyes327

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Edited By snakeeyes327
@NoelVeiga said:
" Yeeeeah, so what are the chances that the Beta uncovers something gamebreaking that needs a significant rebuilding and a second beta to fix and this slips into 2010? Bets anyone? No? Nobody? Oh, well... "
I'm not sue a game can slip backwards in time. 
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jozzy

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Edited By jozzy

Ok, realistically I see two options now:
* I am going to lie and cheat myself into a position where blizard will hire me so I can get in on the internal beta right now
* I am going into an induced coma (or cryo sleep) and will awake come release date

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Edited By Roasted
@Slaker117 said:
" Beta coming January of next year? Awesome! "
Only 3 months? you're giving Blizzard too much credit.
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MudMan

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Edited By MudMan
@SnakeEyes327 said:
" @NoelVeiga said:
" Yeeeeah, so what are the chances that the Beta uncovers something gamebreaking that needs a significant rebuilding and a second beta to fix and this slips into 2010? Bets anyone? No? Nobody? Oh, well... "
I'm not sue a game can slip backwards in time.  "
Typing in the dark, no backlight on my keyboard... but you know what? I totally own that. Much funnier that way.
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gamefreak9

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Edited By gamefreak9
@SlashseveN303 said:
" I'll be there! I've been waiting for this game for the majority of my life. "
Its been in development for like 7 years? so your maximum age is 13?
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thebatmobile

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Edited By thebatmobile

nnngggggnnnhhhh!!

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WinterSnowblind

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Edited By WinterSnowblind
@HarrySound: It'll almost certainly get a console port.  PC elitism be damned.
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the8bitNacho

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Edited By the8bitNacho
@MattSchwabby said:
" Kinda sucks this is coming out around the same time as torchlight 2. The two games I really want to play and have been waiting for so long for, and I have to choose between them when they finally come out? "
Will Torchlight II even be released as a full-priced game? I'm not sure anyone has said yet. Hopefully not.
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RandomInternetUser

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WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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ChickenPants

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Edited By ChickenPants
@gamefreak9 said:
" @SlashseveN303 said:
" I'll be there! I've been waiting for this game for the majority of my life. "
Its been in development for like 7 years? so your maximum age is 13? "
It's been in and out of development in various forms since 2000.
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MordeaniisChaos

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Edited By MordeaniisChaos

So, before September 30? But how much before? I leave for Basic at the very beginning of September, and I have a bad feeling that they don't mean it's coming too much earlier than September... all things considered.

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TorMasturba

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Edited By TorMasturba

Never played the Diablo series, and remember my friend raving about it and playing it constantly.

 

Played games that that same friend said were based on the design ideas of Diablo, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance etc... That I absolutely love, so definitely want to get my chance to see what the fuss was all about in this.