http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/

Diablo III is being developed as the definitive action role-playing
game, and a true continuation of the Diablo series. Players will create
a hero from one of five distinct classes, such as barbarian or witch
doctor, each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. As these
heroes adventure through rich and varied settings, unraveling an epic
storyline and engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and
challenging bosses, they’ll grow in experience and ability and acquire
items of incredible power.

The game takes place on Sanctuary, a
world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants,
Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of
the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those
warriors who directly faced Hell’s armies -- and were fortunate enough
to survive -- went mad from their experiences. And most of the others
have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their
thoughts. In Diablo III, players will return to Sanctuary to confront
evil in its many forms once again.

Diablo III will be a fitting
sequel to Diablo II, with the easy interface, fast-paced action, and
visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. It
will also include many new features that will take the Diablo
action-RPG experience to the next level.

Features:

• Five powerful character classes to choose from, including the barbarian and witch doctor
• Brand-new 3D graphics engine enhanced with spectacular visual effects and Havok physics
• Numerous indoor and outdoor areas detailing new regions in the world of Sanctuary
• Interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and destructible elements
• Randomly generated worlds bolstered by scripted events for endless and dynamic gameplay
• Vast assortment of fiendish monsters, with unique attack patterns and behaviors
• New quest system and character-customization options for the ultimate action RPG experience
• Multiplayer functionality over Battle.net with support for cooperative and competitive play

PARIS, France – June 28, 2008 – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
today revealed Diablo® III, the newest entry in its critically
acclaimed action role-playing-game franchise. The announcement was made
during the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational at the
Porte de Versailles Convention Centre in Paris, France. A cinematic
trailer and an extended gameplay demonstration with commentary from the
development team introduced the game to the thousands of players in
attendance.

“We’ve wanted to expand on the epic story and
gameplay elements of the Diablo universe for some time now,” stated
Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “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 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 characters classes -- the barbarian and the witch doctor --
were shown as part of the announcement at the event today in Paris.

Diablo
III will feature a custom 3D-graphics engine to render lush indoor and
outdoor areas of Sanctuary with a 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 gameplay and replayability. Cooperative and
competitive play will be available online through an upgraded version
of Blizzard Entertainment’s renowned online gaming service,
Battle.net®.

Blizzard Entertainment is developing Diablo III
for simultaneous release on the Windows® and Macintosh® PC platforms.
Further information about the game, including details on the other
character classes, major new features for the single-player and
multiplayer components, system requirements, pricing, and availability,
will be announced as development progresses. To learn more about Diablo
III, please visit the official website at www.diablo3.com. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available. Visit http://www.blizzard.com/jobs for more information and to learn how to apply.

What is Diablo III?
We’re
developing Diablo III to be the definitive action role-playing game,
and a true continuation of the Diablo series. Players will create a
hero from one of five distinct classes, such as barbarian or witch
doctor, each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. As these
heroes adventure through rich and varied settings, unraveling an epic
storyline and engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and
challenging bosses, they’ll grow in experience and ability and acquire
items of incredible power.

The game takes place on Sanctuary, a
world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants,
Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of
the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those
warriors who directly faced Hell’s armies -- and were fortunate enough
to survive -- went mad from their experiences. And most of the others
have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their
thoughts. In Diablo III, players will return to Sanctuary to confront
evil in its many forms once again.

Diablo III will be a fitting
sequel to Diablo II, with the easy interface, fast-paced action, and
visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. It
will also include many new features that will take the Diablo
action-RPG experience to the next level. We look forward to going into
much more detail on our plans for Diablo III as development on the game
progresses.

What’s new about Diablo III compared to the previous Diablo games?
Exciting
new classes like the witch doctor bring new gameplay options to the
table. Returning classes, like the barbarian, have been completely
redone with new skills to give them a feel unique to Diablo III. New
customization options will provide for an even greater level of
character specialization than the previous Diablo games, allowing the
player to create unique characters brimming with power.

Diablo
III is powered by a new graphics engine that can display characters and
hordes of monsters in lush, fully 3D environments. Powerful
special-effects systems and Havok-powered physics allow the player to
lay waste to Hell’s minions in spectacular ways.

Also, Diablo
III builds on the random environments of the previous Diablo games by
introducing a host of new ways to create random scripted events
throughout the game. This creates a dense and exciting world alive with
quests, NPCs, dynamic encounters, and viciously challenging new
monsters and bosses. Diablo III’s environments add a great deal of
interactivity to the game, including destructible elements and
environmental obstacles that can be turned against your enemies.

In
addition, Diablo III will benefit from Battle.net upgrades that will
provide some exciting new features for players. Cooperative online play
remains a primary focus, with multiple enhancements being planned to
make connecting with your friends easier and cooperative gameplay even
more fun. We’ll have more details on all these aspects as well as other
exciting new features at a later date.

WWhWat is Diablo III?Can you give an overview of Diablo III’s storyline?
It
has been twenty years since the events of Diablo II. Of those who faced
the Lords of Hatred, Terror, and Destruction in the battle over the
fate of Sanctuary, there are few still living who can bear to remember
the horrors that the Prime Evils wrought upon the world. And of those
who did not witness the terrible events firsthand, most believe the
stories to be little more than myth. But something evil is stirring
once again in Tristram, and it may already have claimed its first
victim: Deckard Cain.

Will there be any other familiar faces in Diablo III (other than Deckard Cain)?
Yes. Players will encounter several new characters as well as a number of characters from the previous games.

Will players be visiting any familiar locations in Diablo III, such as Tristram?
Yes,
definitely. Players will return to Tristram and certain other locations
from the previous games, and they’ll be exploring new areas of
Sanctuary as well.

How many character classes are included in Diablo III? What are they?
Five
character classes will be included in the game, two of which, the
barbarian and witch doctor, were revealed when the game was announced
at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational. The other
classes will be announced at a later date.

Will players be able to choose the gender of their character, regardless of class?
Yes. Players will be able to create male and female characters for all five classes.

Will Diablo III be playable over Battle.net? What new features can we expect?
Yes,
Diablo III will be playable over Battle.net, and Battle.net will offer
some exciting new features to enhance players’ Diablo III experience.
We’ll announce specifics and go into much more detail at a later date.

Will there be a single-player component in addition to multiplayer?
Yes.
In addition to battling the hordes of Hell cooperatively with friends
over Battle.net, players will be able to adventure through the world of
Diablo III solo. More details on both the single-player and multiplayer
experience will be revealed at a later date.

What will questing be like in Diablo III? Will it be similar to Diablo II?
Our
plans for the story and quest mechanics are still under wraps. We’ll go
into detail on those elements of the game at a later date. We can say,
however, that we expect to have class-based quests in addition to the
main story-line quests.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

What engine is Diablo III running on? What graphical enhancements are included?
Diablo
III runs on a custom 3D game engine for rendering full-3D characters
and environments. The 3D game engine not only simulates advanced
animation sequences and sound effects, but also uses a custom physics
engine that allows for realistic object dynamics and cloth simulation.

What are the system requirements for Diablo III?
We’ll announce specific system requirements at a later date.

RELEASE PLANS

When will Diablo III be released?
It’s
too early to estimate Diablo III’s release date. As with all Blizzard
Entertainment games, our goal is to create a game that is as fun,
balanced, and polished as possible. We intend to take as much time
developing Diablo III as is necessary to ensure the game meets our own
high expectations and those of our players.

Will
the game be released in multiple countries? Will the release be
simultaneous? Which countries and what languages will Diablo III be
localized in?
As with all of our games, our goal with
Diablo III is to release the game simultaneously in as many regions as
possible, and to localize the game in several languages. We’ll have
more details to share about countries, languages, and specific dates as
we get closer to release.

Will Diablo III be available on Windows and Mac simultaneously?
Yes. As with all of Blizzard Entertainment’s recent releases, Diablo III will ship for both Windows and Mac simultaneously.

How much will Diablo III cost? Where can I buy this game?
Pricing and availability for Diablo III will be determined and announced closer to the release of the game.