Diablo 3 - Big Rumour

PC Gamer rumoured to have the exclusive announcement in it's August's issue, according to Blizzplanet.

Another fan-fueled Diablo Rumor Mill has propelled out in full swing after PC Gamer's July edition wrapped up with the following text:

"NEXT MONTH
Have you ever had a secret that you're just dying to blurt out, but you can't for another month, and the stress of holding it in makes you want to do the pee-pee dance? That's what the PC Gamer staff is doing right now, because the August issue will be chock-full of exclusives, including a top-secret cover story so huge we had to go to [CENSORED] to get it. Just 30 days more …"

Here are a few thoughts to ponder on this brainstorming puzzle PC Gamer unleashed:

- PC Gamer was probably among the Gaming press Magazines who visited Blizzard Entertainment early on May, a few weeks ago.

- If you remember, PC Gamer knew about the Starcraft II announcement last May 2007. Blizzard Entertainment made the announcement at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals (WWI) at Seoul, South Korea.

- PC Gamer can't talk about it for the next 30 days … the 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals at Paris, France takes place on June 28-29.

- June 29 is the date Diablo II shipped on USA (2000) and the same date the expansion Lord of Destruction shipped on Europe a year later (2001).

- Notice how PC Gamer replaces a swearing with [CENSORED]? Could this be a clue as to what the game they refer to is? Because CENSORED really sounds like HELL … as in … Diablo?

More information.

Thanks, woges, I was just about to post this. Nothing says "wild internet rumors" like Blizzard and Diablo III.

Probably be Starcraft Online anyway

It's probably something boring, like the announcement of the official release date for WotLK.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
It's probably something boring, like the announcement of the official release date for WotLK.

Yeah.. or something even more boring.. like diablo 3

Maybe this is Blizzard's new PR slant--get tons of attention with mysterious hints about D3 and then release some totally prosaic announcement for an already known product.

you guys/gals are all wrong
its starcraft:ghost
for the next-next gen

Originally Posted by Zakhary
Yeah.. or something even more boring.. like diablo 3

Hehe… I got a kick out of that statement… … That's the way I feel about an announcement regarding Diablo 3.

Well, I'm a huge fan of the Diablo franchise - but those games were done by Blizzard North - the majority of which is now known as Flagship Studios.

Believe it or not, I think Hellgate London is a very good game that simply had a terrible launch.

Anyway, I'd like a new Diablo 3 done right, but I sort of feel the genre is past its prime and we need new things now.

I suspect that Blizzard understands this, and perhaps it'll be a Diablo MMO - so they can sit on the "mature" end of the market as well. Who knows.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
but I sort of feel the genre is past its prime and we need new things now.

Uh, tell that all of the companies that do action-RPGs nowadays …

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
Uh, tell that all of the companies that do action-RPGs nowadays …

Seems rather that they're a vanishing breed from the big boys after the mess with Titan Quest. Space Seige is the only arpg coming out of a big name NA studio(Gas Powered Games) that I can recall atm, and it's significantly altered from the old template. Most of what's called action rpgs lately seem to be rts/fps blends or else they're pure diablo clones on a small budget coming out of small studios in Europe--which isn't bad (I really enjoyed The Chosen), but the genre isn't sprouting out a new AAA game every few months like it used to.

At least that's how it looks to me.

Diablo 3?

………..*YAWN*

If Diablo 3 is an MMO… It's over..

I'm done with CRPGS

I doubt I'll be interested in D3. I loved Diablo - great atmosphere, music and design. D2 improved the skill and item systems but moved too far towards online play for me as well as completely lacking the atmosphere. Even if D3 isn't an MMO, it will likely completely embrace online play, perhaps like Guild Wars or similar.

It will be huge…but not for me.

Originally Posted by magerette
Space Seige is the only arpg coming out of a big name NA studio(Gas Powered Games) that I can recall atm,

Even though Ascaron is in Europe, I'd lump Sacred 2 into this category. Ascaron is hardly a small independent.

You're totally correct. Thanks chamr--brain malfunctioned again.

Any announcement from Blizzard for a new game is huge. The quality of Blizzard games is just insane. Even if you don't like them, all of their releases have been at least put together well and have become big hits. It's worth checking out for that reason alone, because I don't know many developers that can pull off gameplay with the same feel that just works.

Yes, and what always surprises me is that no company tries to immitate them in terms of support.

Patches nearly ten years after the release ? Unthinkable for Activision, EA, THQ, Ubisoft … Of which THQ has the far smallest attention span towards "their" games.

I like the idea of Diablo 3. Maybe it increases the likelihood of Baldur's Gate 3 happening.

Y'all may yawn and hoo and haw but games like Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment and Icewind Dale owe their ability to be made to Diablo.