If there is one thing that video game fans are required to get used to, it’s playing the waiting game. Nowhere is this true than in the case of Diablo 3, which has been in production for the better part of a decade. While the developers at Blizzard have resisted pinning down a specific release date it seems at least one retailer has plans for a midnight launch on February 1, 2012.
The secretive team over at Blizzard has been keeping fans completely in the dark since confirming that Diablo 3 had been slightly pushed forward into a 2012 release, but the newest evidence is more than a little compelling. “Early 2012″ certainly had optimists holding their breath, but a release just three weeks from today wasn’t on anyone’s radar.
The news comes via Joystiq, after catching a tweeted image of a Best Buy end-cap in Rochester, Minnesota. The display didn’t just invite customers to place a pre-order for a Diablo 3 Collector’s Edition, but advertised a midnight release for February 1, along with an automated timer. The display is certainly the real deal (even if ‘February’ is misspelled), and when contacted a store employee confirmed that – at their location at least – the midnight launch was being planned.
Several retailers are now listing the same release date online, including Best Buy and GameStop’s Canadian branch, EB Games. Whether that’s more evidence of a tip or competitors wanting to keep up with one another is anyone’s guess, but it’s worth noting that Blizzard has still yet to confirm or deny the reports.
This will likely be more than good news to PC fans, since the mere appearance of the game’s opening cinematic at the VGAs was all the developers needed to drum up some new excitement for the impending launch. And while that means console fans will need to wait for their own release for who knows how long, we know it won’t be a simple port.
If the Best Buy advertisements are accurate, we’ve got to hand it to Blizzard. After getting anticipation up over the past year with new story trailers and complete secrecy, it’s hard to make a bigger splash than suddenly unveiling an imminent release. If nothing else, it kept skeptics out there from claiming that Diablo 3 would be overshadowed by the release of The Old Republic. While revealing Diablo will be on store shelves next month should do the trick in stealing the PC/RPG thunder, it will be interesting to see if that buzz is more beneficial than an extensive marketing campaign.
What do you make of the reports? Think that the game will really be here in less than a month, or is this just a big mix-up? Leave us your own thoughts in the comments.
Diablo 3 will be released for the PC – possibly – on February 1, 2012. We’ll keep you updated if Blizzard decides to comment.
[Update: Blizzard's Community Manager has taken to Twitter to respond that the sign was not created by the company, and that "Retailers will not know a date until its officially announced through a press release."]
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Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
Source: Joystiq
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Are you sure it’s the 1st, hard to make out with the glare. I hope it is, I’ve been waiting a long time for this.
the date cant be seen, but if you do the math (it is a countdown clock after all??) you can work it out.
Lmao
There is no countdown clock on the picture above.
hard to believe that best buy would know before everyone else but you never know weirder stuff has hapepned in gaming. i hope its true!
ohh nice, love how the only glare is covering the actual day… either way its sometime in Feb.
Google NDAA.
Haven’t been really reading up on Diablo III for a while…
Can anyone tell me if you have to pay monthly for it? Because I really want this game and I don’t want to pay monthly for it :p
Cannot wait for this to come out…
No, it’s going to be just like the other diablo games. Free to play on battle.net
Battle.net and an active connection must be valid to play though from what I hear. Last I heard you couldn’t play it without internet connected. Probably the DRM on it.
Hello guys. This is just a mistake. Diablo 3 will be available for purchase after March at least. D3 still needs lots of work.
Ped
@BLIZZARD anyone can use this name. no1 will believe that blizzard will make accounts for every gaming forum to deny facts. you aint fooling any1
Or would they? <..>
Yeah, so i was lying…
Ok guys, I am going to explain some of my points. First of all look at the photo, it says “Feburary” instead of February. Secondly, Even if Blizzard wants to give to people a specific date, why Blizzard does not put that in the official website? Thirdly, the game still needs some work, specially about runestones. If you do not believe me, lets just see what will happen.
“Fuburary?”
FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!
I would personally say that you should fix your grammar if you are going to try to pretend to be from blizzard. That post was hard to read and made my head hurt.
Just to add to the skepticism……the perspective points are ALL wrong. Look at “MIDNIGHT OPENING” and compare that to the yellow Best Buy line above it then compare the difference between MIDNIGHT OPENING and the word “DIABLO”. It’s a poor PS job to say the least (and yes, I could have at least done it correctly)
Dont believe this crap its not out for 2 months at least yet. It’s also spelt wrong and has a conviniently placed glare over the date and none of the “good” diablo sites have posted anything about this. Stop posting obvious crap and getting some peoples hopes up.
I’m sure its real Chris Metzin announced that they are doing final touches to the game BUT it would not be on the first of February. February is a possible month but Blizzard always releases new game content and new games on a tuesday its been that way forever therefore we will hear a release date on a tuesday.
O.M.G. Lemme me pray that this is so.
Target says 7 Feb 2012
The glare on the picture is covering Feb. 2022
Not if I have to be tied-in online to play it! – Stark
REALLY…?? after so so so many mths of waiting it comes out to shine of a release but not from the creators of BLIZD? . i think not sorry 2 say
LOL @ tards who read this recycled hoax