Blizzard Presentation Says Diablo III’s Not Coming in 2010

The elevator up from hell sure is taking its time. We imagine that Mass Effect’s Shepard -- even with his eternal patience for cramped spaces, boring music, and upward mobility -- would be cursing up a storm by now if he were aboard that infernal machine. So just imagine how poor old Diablo must feel – especially now that the not-so-loveable lug may have a “few years” left before he finally surfaces.
A recent Blizzard presentation listed Diablo III as arriving in the “next few years,” along with StarCraft II’s expansions and Blizzard’s next massively multiplayer cash cow. In store for “next year,” meanwhile, are StarCraft II and WoW: Cataclysm. The bottom line? No loot-grabbing and Satan-stabbing until – at the earliest – 2011. Unless, of course, Diablo III goes into full-on beta mode next year, but we’re not getting our hopes up.
Honestly Diablo, at this point, we’re thinking you should’ve taken the stairs.
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NeoMatrix724
November 24, 2009 at 6:58am
Not seeing much hope for Blizzard in the future. They'll make a lot of money...but they really arent pioneering or innovating like they used to. Warcraft and Starcraft were revolutionary. But beyond that Warcraft II and onward really haven't brought much to the table. Heroes in War III were nice, and definitely refreshing, but the core never really had much advancement. I didn't see anything really revolutionary in Starcraft II. And it already has some baggage attached to it with the fact that it's being split into 3 games with no LAN play (and possibly Pay 2 Play B.Net). I'm sure Starcraft II will be a solid refresh...just not too keen on Blizzard's development cycles as of late. 10 years between games really kills the momentum and desire to get back into it.
For something like Diablo, the depth never really was there...it's an entertaining story, and the random maps help it out, but you pretty much beat it once and it plays out the same way the next time...just different loot. Nowadays, gamers (especially RPGers) are looking for something a bit more substantial. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Oblivion all gave RPGers the depth they were looking for. The mechanics of what i've seen in Diablo look more like a graphics refresh with a few gameplay style modifications...but nothing groundbreaking or pioneering.
Overall, I'll probably end up buying Starcraft II, the first part at least. But I don't find myself too excited about upcoming Blizzard titles.
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Trooper_One
November 16, 2009 at 12:46pm
I can appreciate taking the time for quality's sake but 10+ years? Common, get a new development team!
So Blizzard is now a 3 products per 10 years company? Not a great way to make income.
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Jeffredo
November 15, 2009 at 12:39am
I've moved on. Other companies are getting my money (like Bethesda with Oblivion in 2006 and Fallout 3 in 2008). There are other ways to get my RPG fix and thanks to you guys fiddling around my taste has changed from linear hack and slash to open world. I really don't care about Diablo III anymore.
As far as giving people time to "upgrade their rigs" I've built five different PCs since Diablo II: LoD came out. Blizzard gives you WAY too much time for that new hardware to get stale. Drag-asses.
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Scootiep
November 15, 2009 at 4:51am
Amen to that brother.
To start press any key...ohh, where's the "Any" key. - Homer Simpson
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Black Lable 69
November 14, 2009 at 11:05pm
I personally think that most people always think about themselves when it comes to game releases & why wouldn't they? However, not everyone owns a capable PC that runs games. Alternatively, not everyone owns a Game Console either. I can understand both sides, a feeling of compromise to appease both parties. & for developers, they sometimes don't want to totally piss off or alienate one group. I could care less about whether D3 arrives on PC or Console first as long as it freakin comes out within our lifetime. My only advice to BLIZZARD would be: "I hope you know what you're doing & if you are multi-developing D3 then make sure no compromise is made for neither PC or console". One thing that would cause me to walk away from BLIZZARD is if they made it a Console Exclusive which is blasphemies & unlikely.
Besides, by it taking this long it gives some people more time to either upgrade their rigs or buy new ones.
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snapple00
November 14, 2009 at 6:58pm
How long have they actually been coding the game? Wouldn't by the time 3-5 years passes they need to re-write the damn thing so it isn't outdated. And how many years has it been?
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AntiHero
November 14, 2009 at 9:35am
Saw this one coming, does anyone feel like this is familiar? *Cough*Starcraft II*Cough*
If it's Activision wanting a console version, they're gonna ruin the game so it can port to consoles. It's gonna be annoying as hell. Wasn't there already a console Diablo game? and it flopped if I remember right.
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praetor_alpha
November 14, 2009 at 5:31pm
I never expected nor counted on SC2 dropping in 07, 08, OR 09. Not surprising with D3. It's just Blizzard, folks. Move along.
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mattman059
November 14, 2009 at 1:28pm
my main demands for D3..
1) NO CONSOLE BULLSHIT
2) Free..and i do mean 100% FREE Online play.
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fry
November 14, 2009 at 7:28am
Delay = Blizzard being ordered by their Activision overlords to turn DIII into a console title.
Bet on it.
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GFC
November 14, 2009 at 12:59am
They actually said in an interview a month or so ago that D3 won't be in '10. Too bad.. I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting to play it.
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nmanguy
November 13, 2009 at 11:52pm
With a game like Torchlight already out for only $20, the Torchlight online game in development, and the Fate series going strong, people in 2011+ are not going to get any joy out of playing a game that pretty much brings nothing new to the series.
Not to mention, games like Dragon Age, The Witcher, Fallout 3, Borderlands and Fable are all replacing the RPGs of old with modern hybrids that just spoon feed the player.
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myndflyte
November 14, 2009 at 9:26am
I bought Torchlight last week because I wanted something to hold me over till D3, and I would have probably paid $40 for this game. It is a really great alternative and the only complaint I have would be no online. But only being single player hasn't taken anything away from how great the game is.
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highsidednb
November 14, 2009 at 12:24pm
Agreed. Torchlight is a great value for the money. It's a ton of fun. It brought back all the old memories of Diablo 1 & 2. Well worth playing. Frankly, I'm happy to see Blizzard shoot itself in the foot.
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devin3627
November 14, 2009 at 1:20am
think of the 1990s fool..... the xbox360 is a baby toy compared to the next console release. from 2005 to 2009 is a astonishment.














