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Diablo III Sells 3.5 Million Copies In its First Day Alone

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is now the fastest-selling PC game of all time.

Can you even imagine the stat numbers for enemies killed and loot collected thus far? In the parlance of Carl Sagan, it's got to be in the
Can you even imagine the stat numbers for enemies killed and loot collected thus far? In the parlance of Carl Sagan, it's got to be in the "billions of billions."

The server issues that plagued Diablo III's first 48 hours or so were certainly unfortunate, but it turns out that Blizzard really did have a good reason for not quite anticipating the server load it endured. After all, who could possibly have predicted that the game would sell 3.5 million copies in its first 24 hours? I mean, I'm sure we all thought it would do well, but that number is something else entirely.

That 3.5 million number doesn't even take into account the 1.2 million who received a copy of the game through the World of Warcraft Annual Pass program. All in all, that means 4.7 million people were at least capable of playing Diablo III on day one. Which is a lot, really.

All in all, 6.3 million copies have been sold/acquired in the week since the game's launch, which, according to Blizzard, breaks the "all-time record for fastest-selling PC game." I don't have my list of the fastest-selling PC games of all time handy, but I'll just assume that Blizzard did its homework before making that claim. Otherwise, they should be expecting a nasty phone call from Guinness.

Records or no records, Diablo III is unequivocally a massive, overwhelming success, and it's only been a week. I mean, I haven't even bought my copy yet. That's at least one more coming! Eventually! When I actually have time to play it...

Alex Navarro on Google+

240 Comments

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kalibr

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Edited By kalibr

Everyone is online all the time now so who gives a shit? Stop crying about DRM its obvious no one is listening to you. I would rather have good games with DRM than none at all. If you don't like it don't buy it and play a console game. If I get games on PC that I enjoy as much as I've enjoyed D3 I'm fine with it. There is no point in leaving comments that boil down to "I dont agree with DRM so this game is shit and people who buy it are assholes."

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thepantheon

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Edited By thepantheon

All in all count: Deux.

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hmmisee

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Edited By hmmisee

@Canteu:

"And another thing! The DRM in this game actually works. You can't pirate the fucker, mission accomplished."

Well... You can. There are already private servers up for cracked players.

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namesonkel

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Edited By namesonkel

Sorta sad to think of all the people/kids that really just buy it because it says Blizzard n the box.

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korwin

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Edited By korwin

@laserbolts said:

@big_jon said:

@gaminginpublic said:

@big_jon said:

And yet I could still give no less shit then I already do about it.

Then get lost

You first, douche.

32 posts and a stock avatar and you're telling me to get lost?

Yes because having a bigger post count consisting of garbage like "And yet I could still give no shit about it" and having a stupid avatar makes you more important.

Didn't you hear, people with higher post count's are the absolute authority on websites (somehow this instills a sense of ownership).

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big_jon

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Edited By big_jon

@Korwin said:

@laserbolts said:

@big_jon said:

@gaminginpublic said:

@big_jon said:

And yet I could still give no less shit then I already do about it.

Then get lost

You first, douche.

32 posts and a stock avatar and you're telling me to get lost?

Yes because having a bigger post count consisting of garbage like "And yet I could still give no shit about it" and having a stupid avatar makes you more important.

Didn't you hear, people with higher post count's are the absolute authority on websites (somehow this instills a sense of ownership).

Oh my fucking God, the point was that people like that come and go all the time, being a long time fan of the site I am not going anywhere.

Now quit making this to be more than it is you babies.

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warpedzappa

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Edited By warpedzappa

Who said PC gaming is dead?

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StarvingGamer

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Edited By StarvingGamer

I can't wait for the first expansion pack!

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bybeach

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Edited By bybeach

@radioactivez0r said:

This thread has 2 of the best kinds of commenters:

1) "I've never had a problem, so logically that can be extrapolated to everyone else who also plays this game. Ergo, it's not a problem."

2) "I'm commenting on a post about video games to tell you that video games are lame and you should get a life....also, video games."

Seeing how well this sold just makes me think my plan to skip it purely for its awful online requirement is pointless. It looks fun, and it's clear that there was no actual dent in the sales because of that.

That is really the way I think to look at it. Where does one draw the line on principle? I think always online sucks, but now that I have a router that works well for D3, well I already have the game and I find it rocks. Impressive for a very start. But I guess I could have made a choice there. Tangentially, I hoped my portable Internet radio device (the Mutant) has better range with the new fancy router(dual band gigabyte), but I do not know if I am seeing that. I just might want to buy another device for extending range....

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kollay

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Edited By kollay

Just dabbled a bit with Inferno.

Son of a bitch.

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deathfromace

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Edited By deathfromace

@blacklab said:

3.5M copies x $60 = $210M in one week. That's just silly!

Not counting the collectors editions so that number just went even higher :D

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divakchopra

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Edited By divakchopra

the PC will always be king!

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Smersh

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Edited By Smersh

Wow! that's a whole lot of Bliz-bucks heading to the Bliz bank. 
Got to hand it to Blizzard though, their games are always worth the wait!

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StingingVelvet

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Edited By StingingVelvet

Wonder how much they would sell if they ported it to consoles with an offline mode. Hopefully we find out, because that is the only way I could play it.

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StingingVelvet

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Edited By StingingVelvet

@laserbolts said:

@Dragon_Fire said:

I'm guessing no one even cares about online all the time DRM, or the lack of LAN & offline singleplayer?

I certainly don't. I have a constant internet connection and I don't live in 2002.

It's about WAY more than just having to be online to play, which people need to understand. It's also about lag in singleplayer. It's also about long downtimes for maintenance and internet blips. It's also about the game being completely under corporate control. It's also about a hacked account meaning no gameplay for a week or more. It's also about the game someday ceasing to exist, as all online properties do.

There is a lot more at stake here than simply having to be online to play our video games.

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caseyg

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Edited By caseyg

I guess a lot of people are cool with paying top dollar to only temporarily lease a license to play a game. What's that sound I hear? It's Ubisoft and EA unzipping their pants now that they know there's a lot of gamers out there who are nothing more than a bunch of catamites.

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AtomicEdge

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Edited By AtomicEdge

@StingingVelvet: I'm cool with all of these things. The pros outweigh the cons.

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doobie

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@caseyg said:

I guess a lot of people are cool with paying top dollar to only temporarily lease a license to play a game. What's that sound I hear? It's Ubisoft and EA unzipping their pants now that they know there's a lot of gamers out there who are nothing more than a bunch of catamites.

no, the sound you hear is just an overreaction. its very common on the internet

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bemusedchunk

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Edited By bemusedchunk

@big_jon said:

@Korwin said:

@laserbolts said:

@big_jon said:

@gaminginpublic said:

@big_jon said:

And yet I could still give no less shit then I already do about it.

Then get lost

You first, douche.

32 posts and a stock avatar and you're telling me to get lost?

Yes because having a bigger post count consisting of garbage like "And yet I could still give no shit about it" and having a stupid avatar makes you more important.

Didn't you hear, people with higher post count's are the absolute authority on websites (somehow this instills a sense of ownership).

Oh my fucking God, the point was that people like that come and go all the time, being a long time fan of the site I am not going anywhere.

Now quit making this to be more than it is you babies.

Such a huge epeen, oh great and powerful long time fan and post maker. How to be like you?

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emem

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Edited By emem
@kollay said:
Just dabbled a bit with Inferno. Son of a bitch.
I hope you got a high damage output, the enrage timers are rough. It took me a few tries to kill the Butcher yesterday.
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SlickShoes

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Edited By SlickShoes

@caseyg said:

I guess a lot of people are cool with paying top dollar to only temporarily lease a license to play a game. What's that sound I hear? It's Ubisoft and EA unzipping their pants now that they know there's a lot of gamers out there who are nothing more than a bunch of catamites.

With a game this size yes I am, Diablo2 is still online and it's 11 years old, even if Diablo3 lasts half that time I certainly won't still be playing it in 6 years time. In terms of playtime I have already played it more than I played many of last years AAA games, so it's money well spent.

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gaminginpublic

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Edited By gaminginpublic

@big_jon said:

@Korwin said:

@laserbolts said:

@big_jon said:

@gaminginpublic said:

@big_jon said:

And yet I could still give no less shit then I already do about it.

Then get lost

You first, douche.

32 posts and a stock avatar and you're telling me to get lost?

Yes because having a bigger post count consisting of garbage like "And yet I could still give no shit about it" and having a stupid avatar makes you more important.

Didn't you hear, people with higher post count's are the absolute authority on websites (somehow this instills a sense of ownership).

Oh my fucking God, the point was that people like that come and go all the time, being a long time fan of the site I am not going anywhere.

Now quit making this to be more than it is you babies.

Lol.. Ok dude. Like I said........... I've been coming here for years, I just now started commenting. I'll continue to go here for years because I dislike all the other large videogame media websites. You deserve a scratch and sniff sticker with a star on it though for your "loyalty".

And I'll change my avatar when I damn well feel like it!

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gaminginpublic

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Edited By gaminginpublic

@flufflogic said:

@giyanks22 said:

@blueduck said:

@phrosnite said:

@gaminginpublic: @blueduck: @budgietheii:

The fact that you don't know which dungeon crawlers I'm talking about shows me that you don't know shit. Shut up. Don't reply to people who say bad things about Diablo 3. Go play your Diablo 3 instead of defending it so furiously.

Dude chill out. I'm honestly asking for you to elaborate on your opinion.

Lol...he still hasn't actually told us what games he is referring to lol. The only game in my opinion that is in the same league as Diablo is Trine, but they practically admit that they just knocked off Diablo II to tide people over until Diablo III. Anyways he's just trolling ignore him.

I assume you mean Torchlight. And there's also Titan Quest, and a few free to plays, and now by the looks of the trailer even a Marvel one.

I hope he doesn't mean Torchlight.. because torchlight was just a cheap imitation of Diablo. Like I said earlier though.. It was a fun game. He's just wrong if he thinks it's better. I'll still get torchlight 2 when it comes out though. :p

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Osiris

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Edited By Osiris

Most over hyped game of 2012. I mean it's good but not THAT good.

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kyrieee

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@big_jon said:

Oh my fucking God, the point was that people like that come and go all the time, being a long time fan of the site I am not going anywhere.

Now quit making this to be more than it is you babies.

I was on gamepot 10 years ago and on GB since it started, but I have 200 posts and stock avatar. So what?

If you want to argue then make an argument, not an ad hominem.

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Corvak

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Edited By Corvak

@kyrieee: Hey, I like the stock avatar :P

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EXTomar

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@caseyg said:

I guess a lot of people are cool with paying top dollar to only temporarily lease a license to play a game. What's that sound I hear? It's Ubisoft and EA unzipping their pants now that they know there's a lot of gamers out there who are nothing more than a bunch of catamites.

If you have a PS3 or XBox 360 and have been playing a lot of games on them, you've already wrapped your lips around what they are offering.

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p00rdevil

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Edited By p00rdevil

What is the big deal about required on line playing? You log on, the game starts up, and you play. Literally that is all there is to it!

If my internet is down the least of my concerns is not being able to play a video game. These days my ISP rarely goes down, or has any problems at all. Power outage is about the only thing that keeps me offline. Blizzard's servers are not causing me any lag since I have been playing. I played my Monk some this morning with no problems in single player mode at all.

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caseyg

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Edited By caseyg

@EXTomar said:

@caseyg said:

I guess a lot of people are cool with paying top dollar to only temporarily lease a license to play a game. What's that sound I hear? It's Ubisoft and EA unzipping their pants now that they know there's a lot of gamers out there who are nothing more than a bunch of catamites.

If you have a PS3 or XBox 360 and have been playing a lot of games on them, you've already wrapped your lips around what they are offering.

Funny, last time I checked I can play every game I own on my PS3 without an internet connection...including the stuff I bought off PSN.

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Elwoodan

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Edited By Elwoodan

other publishers can use always on DRM, but it takes a franchise as beloved as Diablo to ignore it, for less-loved series it would be a deal breaker.

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Slither_Maggot

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Edited By Slither_Maggot

Awesome!

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Nettacki

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Edited By Nettacki
@p00rdevil said:

What is the big deal about required on line playing? You log on, the game starts up, and you play. Literally that is all there is to it!

If my internet is down the least of my concerns is not being able to play a video game. These days my ISP rarely goes down, or has any problems at all. Power outage is about the only thing that keeps me offline. Blizzard's servers are not causing me any lag since I have been playing. I played my Monk some this morning with no problems in single player mode at all.

Look, it's clear that many people have problems with this sort of DRM. They're concerned that the player's right to play the game whenever they want is compromised by this need to always stay online, even though there's more than a few moments where going online is impossible/inconvenient. And just because you're not concerned with not playing a game doesn't mean others shouldn't be concerned either. They have the right to be concerned if the game they paid a lot of money for can't be played unless they stick to the conditions established by the devs.
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Paviel

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Edited By Paviel

@Nettacki: As clear as it is that many people have a problem with this sort of DRM, it's even clearer that many more people don't; or at least, the DRM hasn't stopped 6 million or so people from buying the game.

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Lemonhead

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Edited By Lemonhead

The people complaining about online DRM really need to pick their battles better. The way it's done with Diablo is the absolutely right way to do it. It's by no means intrusive, it's fast, joining friend's games takes 2 seconds (literally!) and this game has brought me back together with people from my WOW period, I hadn't talked to in years. The talk about "draconian DRM" and "awful online" are so wrong, it's pretty obvious you haven't played the game.

I can understand if you disagree with any kind of DRM on principle, since we've had many examples over the past few years of how you can do it wrong, but Blizzard's model is the one you should support. This is DRM done right, and I love they're being rewarded for it by gigantic sales numbers.

Also, some need to wipe the froth off their mouths and take a deep breath. Not having access to the game that one day, 2 years from now where you're without internet connection because you're moving to a different house, is not the end of your lives. Small price to pay if this means fewer pirates.

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AhmadMetallic

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Edited By AhmadMetallic
@Lemonhead said:

The people complaining about online DRM really need to pick their battles better. The way it's done with Diablo is the absolutely right way to do it. It's by no means intrusive, it's fast, joining friend's games takes 2 seconds (literally!) and this game has brought me back together with people from my WOW period, I hadn't talked to in years. The talk about "draconian DRM" and "awful online" are so wrong, it's pretty obvious you haven't played the game.

I can understand if you disagree with any kind of DRM on principle, since we've had many examples over the past few years of how you can do it wrong, but Blizzard's model is the one you should support. This is DRM done right, and I love they're being rewarded for it by gigantic sales numbers.

I'm sitting at my desktop rig with my flawless 10 mb internet connection, that's why online DRM doesn't bother me.  
 
But a lot, and I mean a lot of PC gamers around the world play on either laptops outdoors, or play on desktops with really shitty internet, or have to share the internet with their dorm roomates and can't do anything more than web surfing, or any other reason of the TENS of reasons that makes a singleplayer GRIND arpg require constant internet connection just suck. Real bad.
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ravenleighhh

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Edited By ravenleighhh

It's out of stock in Singapore >_<

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BionicRadd

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@AhmadMetallic said:

@Lemonhead said:

The people complaining about online DRM really need to pick their battles better. The way it's done with Diablo is the absolutely right way to do it. It's by no means intrusive, it's fast, joining friend's games takes 2 seconds (literally!) and this game has brought me back together with people from my WOW period, I hadn't talked to in years. The talk about "draconian DRM" and "awful online" are so wrong, it's pretty obvious you haven't played the game.

I can understand if you disagree with any kind of DRM on principle, since we've had many examples over the past few years of how you can do it wrong, but Blizzard's model is the one you should support. This is DRM done right, and I love they're being rewarded for it by gigantic sales numbers.

I'm sitting at my desktop rig with my flawless 10 mb internet connection, that's why online DRM doesn't bother me. But a lot, and I mean a lot of PC gamers around the world play on either laptops outdoors, or play on desktops with really shitty internet, or have to share the internet with their dorm roomates and can't do anything more than web surfing, or any other reason of the TENS of reasons that makes a singleplayer GRIND arpg require constant internet connection just suck. Real bad.

I agree. Always on DRM sucks. Thats why Im glad Diablo 3 doesnt have that and is instead an online multiplayer game. The sooner people get this through their heads and move on, the better the world will be. Blizzard did not ship a single player game. They shipped a multiplayer game you can play alone, if that floats your boat. It's not hyperbole, it's not being a sycophant, it's the pure truth. Path of Exile and Guild Wars are online multiplayer games, as well, but no one gripes about the "DRM" in those games. For those that need an offline single player experience, Runic is going to deliver that in fine fashion with Torchlight 2. Then again, I barely used the offline mode in Diablo 2, so maybe that's why them not including it in Diablo 3 doesn't bother me.

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zwolf

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Edited By zwolf

@chiablo said:

Anyone else getting a huge WoW vibe from Diablo 3. Like that it is essentially a simplified, single-player version of WoW?

lol, no way. TOTALLY different games. To help illustrate this point, lets say, some one said:

"hey Chiablo! go pick up this new game, it's like World of Warcraft - only you fight Demons and such things instead!"

Then, you went out, paid your $60 thinking that you were getting something like WoW or EverQuest, and instead got Diablo III - I think you will see, that in that scenario your expectations would be WAY off when compared to what you got. The Genre's are totally different. I will give you that I do see some 'WoW' influence in the game - most of which I really quite like. but to answer your question - naw, there's no way I'd confuse a game like Diablo with a game like WoW.

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EXTomar

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Edited By EXTomar

@caseyg said:

@EXTomar said:

@caseyg said:

I guess a lot of people are cool with paying top dollar to only temporarily lease a license to play a game. What's that sound I hear? It's Ubisoft and EA unzipping their pants now that they know there's a lot of gamers out there who are nothing more than a bunch of catamites.

If you have a PS3 or XBox 360 and have been playing a lot of games on them, you've already wrapped your lips around what they are offering.

Funny, last time I checked I can play every game I own on my PS3 without an internet connection...including the stuff I bought off PSN.

You should try playing Mass Effect 3 when it can't talk to EA's servers. Will your "From Ashes" work or not work today or tomorrow if you stop contacting them? The funny thing is that EA holds the keys and Microsoft and Sony are guarding all of the gates where "being online" is a giant red herring.

People bitching about Diablo 3 and then turn around playing something on their 360 or PS3 are blissfully ignorant what DRM really is. Those consoles are "Hardened DRM Platforms" that are much worse than Diablo 3 could ever be. Suddenly suggesting it is a problem makes me laugh because it has been here for years now where vendors have had the power to dictate what gets played when and they don't even need to talk to "home" to enforce it.

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skewedsyntax

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Edited By skewedsyntax

Great for blizzard they are small company but I think they will make it.