Earlier today, Blizzard Entertainment made the announcement that their upcoming release, Diablo III would be slipping back. It won’t be available until early 2012.
The announcement that Blizzard had begun to send out closed beta keys to gamers for Diablo III seemed to send longtime fans into a frenzy, hoping they would get a key. This announcement however is sure to upset many of those gamers. However, the company has promised that, while the game may be delayed, this extra time will also extend the beta. As a result, it could allow for more gamers to potentially be able to join in.
Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment had this to say about the delay:
“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.”
Delays are always sad to hear about, especially with a franchise that has a following like Diablo does. Though this delay could ultimately be for the best. Hopefully by early 2012 they mean the first couple of months, although that is a time when we see a lot of new releases as well, which means more competition.