Diablo III No Longer Just a Rumor, but Now a Fact

Diablo III has long been rumored to be in the works, and maybe due in part to the hopes of the many fans around the world.

Blizzard Entertainment Inc. is holding its 2008 Worldwide Invitational at the Porte de Versailles Convention Centre in Paris, France. This is always an exciting event each year, and this year was to be no different. Of course there were the updates about the newest World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King which met great anticipation. So too was the information about StarCraft II. But what really stole the show was the announcement about the reality of the upcoming sequel in the Diablo series, Diablo III.

For those who were not in attendance, one can only imagine the hush that fell over the thousands who were there as the teaser started playing. There was no clue of the game as a flame lights several candles and a woman's voice says that "It has been said that in the end of all things, we would find a new beginning." As the cinematic trailer continues, you get the feel that some of this is somehow familiar. Then the crowd erupts in applause and cheers as the Diablo III logo slashes across the screen.

This is how the dramatic events unfolded as Diablo II was unveiled, putting an end to the rumors that have been wildly circulating the Internet as the rumors now become fact. Blizzard's co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime said that “We’ve wanted to expand on the epic story and game play elements of the Diablo universe for some time now." Mr. Morhaime went on to say that “We know that players have also been long awaiting a return to the series, so we’re very excited to be sharing this announcement with Blizzard gamers here in Paris and around the world today.”

Diablo III is a continuation of the story and will pick up the story twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal have been defeated, but the Worldstone, which once shielded the inhabitants of the world of Sanctuary from the forces of both Heaven and Hell, has been destroyed, and evil once again stirs in Tristram. Playing as a hero from one of five distinct character classes, players will acquire powerful items, spells, and abilities as they explore new and familiar areas of Sanctuary and battle hordes of demons to safeguard the world from the horrors that have arisen.

The first two classes were shown in the gameplay footage, are the Barbarian and the Witch Doctor. But there will be five classes to choose from. Additionally Blizzard is using a new custom 3D graphics engine to render incredible indoor and outdoor environments of the Sanctuary with a very high level of detail and vivid special effects. The game's physics-enhanced environments will be interactive and destructible, offering traps and obstacles that create added danger for players and monsters alike. These elements, along with a new quest system and random scripted events, will be integrated into the game’s random-level generator, giving Diablo III the ultimate combination of dynamic game play and replay-ability. Online play will be made available through an upgraded version of Blizzard's online gaming service, Battle.net.

There is no information yet as to a target date for the release but Blizzard did say that it is planning on a simultaneous release on Windows and Macintosh PC platforms. More information may be found at the official site at http://www.diablo3.com, and of course GameSHOUT will continue to keep you posted on all updates as they happen.