Diablo 3 production plans

You’ve probably heard that Blizzard’s production schedule was leaked (source: MMO Champion). It’s rumored to have been leaked by an anonymous, yet authoritative source.

Looking at past releases, the schedule is spot on: Battle.net 2.0, Starcraft 2, WoW mobile, Cataclysm. A good idea is listening to the Blizzard's investor call conference and figure out where the overlap is.

What does that mean for Diablo 3 and its release date? First, we confirm that 2011 remains the target date. On the negative side, it seems they are targeting the holiday season, so November or Decemeber 2011.

Some of you have attended Blizzcon 2010 and 1000 beta keys will go to Blizzcon attendees.
Remember to fill in your email in the form below and you’ll get an immediate notification when Blizzard announces.

Diablo 3 upcoming release

Since I first started writing this blog some 4 years ago, I had days when I thought Blizzard has totally forgotten the http://www.maxfreak.com/diablo2/“>Diablo 2 success, high on their WoW profits.

As 2010 draws to an end, Diablo 3 finally looks close enough for us Diablo fans to have a reason for celebration. In just a few weeks, it will be 2011 – the year that Diablo 3 will finally be released. With Starcraft 2 and their new mmo in the works, Blizzard’s marketing will be able to focus on their step-child franchise.

---

Get into the Diablo 3 beta!

Note: You only get ONE email, when Blizzard announces the Diablo 3 beta.

Diablo 3 release – 2011?

My worst fears are being confirmed… Diablo 3 is again on the backburner when it comes to its release.

Blizzard have stated that TWO titles will be released in 2010. One of course, is Starcraft 2. Fair enough, it was announced a long time ago.

The other title due in 2010 is WoW Cataclysm. Blizzard needs to keep the money machine printing. I did freeze my account months ago and I suspect I’m not the only one.

Here’s the confirmation from Shacknews: “Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime has confirmed that just-revealed World of Warcraft expansion Cataclysm and StarCraft II are the two titles the company expects to hit in 2010″.

Diablo 3 teaser

My eyes are sore from all the reloading and staring at Blizzard’s new front page!
I’m attaching a snapshot below (click to zoom) in case they decide to remove it.

I’m really hoping Blizzard will announce Diablo 3 on the 18th. It was only a few days ago that everyone was convinced they were going to announce Starcraft 2 in Korea.

Money - good, Diablo - bad

Man, I’m a pissed off today!

It’s not just the rumors that Blizzard will announce Starcraft 2 in three weeks in Korea. Obviously, if Blizzard announce Starcraft 2 this puts Diablo 3 on the backburner for an year if not longer.
It’s not even Rob Pardo’s interview (that’s WoW’s game designer), where he explains how they have a commitment to keep the WoW money machine going by doing an expansion every year. No such commitment to Diablo, thank you very much!
It’s the OVERALL feeling that Blizzard have sold out. Money - good. You probably still remember that animation - Money good, Napster bad - from Camp Chaos.
Blizzard have become the gorilla in the room - catering to the millions of casual gamers (not to mention Chinese farmers!) and forgetting about the hardcore players who have built their franchises.
For God’s sake, there are tens of thousands of players who play Diablo 2 till this day and who who have been praying for a sequel since 2001! Say it ain’t so.

Diablo 3 and Windows Vista

I still haven't "upgraded" to Vista for various reasons (hardware upgade pending). I'm on the look-out for the new generation of games that are coming for Vista that take advantage of DirectX 10.

I've seen Hellgate London's trailer as well as gameplay videos but I wasn't too impressed. The guys there were saying DirectX 10 allows them to do all kinds of character customizations.

Enter Age of Conan. See the trailer below and then download the HD versions. It's simply AMAZING to look at. If Diablo 3 looks anything close to that, I'm sold.

Note: this low-res version doesn't do it justice. You should download the high-def versions below:

• DirectX 10 trailer, 720p (.wmv) - 46.5MB


• DirectX 10 trailer, 480p (.wmv) - 26.4MB

On the funny side, if you machine can't play the 720p video smoothly, you probably need a hardware upgrade as well. I know mine can't.

What's next: Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2?

According to IGN, Blizzard is contemplating a Starcraft sequal for real.

...another little nugget of gold dropped alongside it with the public admission that Itzik Ben Bassat, Vice President Business Development and International for Blizzard Entertainment, would be keen to see a new StarCraft before too long.

On stage in London for the game launch, Bassat stated, "I'm a StarCraft player myself and I hope it's not a decade, and we launched StarCraft in 1998, before I'm standing here again, celebrating the next game in the series."

During another previous interview, Paul Sams (Blizzard's COO) said that in 2007 they'll have 3 (three) product announcements. If we consider that the Burning Crusade has been one, we're left with two.

Could it be that our wildest dreams will become true? Both Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 will be announced soon?

Some Diablo 2 links worth noting: Diablo Downloads, Diablo Cheats, Diablo Save Games, Diablo Item Editor, Diablo Hero Editor, Diablo Rune Words, Diablo Maphack, Diablo 2 CD Keys, Diablo 2 ISO, Diablo 2 Utilities, Diablo cheat codes, and Diablo 1.11 no-CD.