Disappointing news today for those of us hoping for a late 2011 release for Diablo 3. In an EU press release, and on their US community site, Blizzard has announced that Diablo 3 will ship no sooner than early 2012.
The anxious fanboy in me is saddened by this news, since it means I’ll have to wait that much longer before I can create new heroes to battle in the world of Sanctuary. However, the rest of me feels good about this decision. I don’t want the game to be rushed out just so they can capitalize on the holiday season sales surge. I’d much rather they take their time, continue listening to the feedback from fans and keep fine tuning until they get it just right.
The Demon Hunter makeover is probably one reason for this, but I’m sure the new Auction House system is probably the primary reason. Considering the logistics of having two separate AH systems – with one of them involving sensitive transactions of real money – this is something they absolutely have to get right before they release it to the masses.
Beyond the reworking and tuning of class mechanics and balance, as well as the Auction House and RMAH systems, they’ve also got a few other things to address, such as the new armor sets. I’m really hoping they decide to take the the art department in a new direction as far as some of the new gear is concerned. I’d imagine that wouldn’t cause a tremendous delay, but still… it’s that much more work that needs to be done, then bounced off of fans once again.
All in all, I think the beta looks fantastic, but then again… we’ve only seen a fraction of the game so far. As players are granted deeper access into beta content, it’s likely that more concerns and bugs will arise.
Blizzard… just take your time and release Diablo 3 when it’s ready, which is what you’ve always done with all of your games.
So there ya have it… new tentative Diablo 3 release date: Early 2012.
Leave a Reply