Diablo III to ship in early 2012, beta test extended

Blizzard has announced Diablo III will ship in early 2012.

The firm said the release window will allow the firm to extend the beta test.

"With every game we make, the temptation is always very strong to launch as soon as possible," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder. "However, we didn't put so many years of work into Diablo III to release a game that was almost ready.

"The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we're taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers."

Blizzard will use the additional time to extend the Diablo III closed beta test, which began September 20, potentially adding more testers than initially projected.

Players who have an active Battle.net account with any Blizzard game attached to it should log into account management to opt in for a chance to participate in the beta test.

Additional testing phases, as well as further details regarding the launch plans for the game, will be announced on Diablo III community website.