Blizzard Entertainment said this week that it sold more than 3.5 million copies of Diablo III on launch day, setting the record for fastest-selling PC game. The company also sold 1.2 million copies of the game to subscribers of the World of Warcraft Annual Pass, meaning 4.7 million copies of the game were in the hands of gamers on day one.
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There were a number of server slowdowns and issues for gamers looking to play the game on opening day and, as a result, Blizzard was very apologetic in its statement:
"We’re definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of Diablo III and jump in the moment it went live," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support."
To cut down on cheating and piracy, Blizzard requires the Diablo III client to be connected to their servers at all times during gameplay, even during the single-player campaign.
Diablo III is available via Blizzard's website and at retail stores.
Top Rated Comments
Oh whats that? It's to stop the Pirates? In 2 weeks when they've circumvented this measure, the Pirates will be getting the better gaming experience while paying customers are dicked with this.
It's more like we are renting a game.. I really hope later there will be a patch for offline play..
I feel the same way. I'd love to buy and play the game, but under these circumstances Diablo can remain in hell.
Will the servers be around? Knowing Blizzard, yes.
The thing about having to be online and connected to a server to play though is that there's freaking lag in single player. That's unacceptable.
Errr? Blizzard Entertainment is one of the few publishers which actually publishes top titles for Mac - and that on the same launch day as PCversions, not 5 years later. This game broke sales records for the first day (so did Diablo 2 by the way back then) and that also because it is for both PC and Mac. This is not a random story. If you just want to read about the latest rumors about hardware, why do you even bother posting? Troll?
I will definitely do the honor:
In Diablo, it is very simple. You usually have an NPC fighting with you. In Diablo 3, it is first a Templar which later in the game you can exchange for a Scoundrel. Later in the game, you can also choose the Enchantress.
The moment, you choose to play an open game, other players can join. You will loose your Follower (Templar or so on) and that other person will fight with you. Up to four people can fight together. You get a system message that someone joined and that your foes got stronger or that someone left and the enemies get weaker. This happens without you having to worry about it (except you are in the middle of a fight and 3 people join - you might be toast at that point - but even that is survivable). In other words: It's easy as pie! Run to the front lines and fight side-by-side!
Alternatively to letting people join, you can join a game in your character menu by selecting to join a public game instead of starting a game.
Have to correct that: Actually, when the last friend or random player left, you are asked if you want your Follower back and you are back in business.
About the loot:
In Diablo 3, everybody has his or her own loot. That means, you open a chest or kill a foe and gold and items drop. You cannot see what drops for your mates and they cannot see yours - but if you drop something out of your inventory, other can see it and pick it up. Therefore, don't sort things by dropping stuff in a multiplayer game because people can snatch it. This system makes it easy for you to give things away to others if you don't want it.
Also: Your Treasure Chest inventory is the same accross all characters. So, in order to get a bow to your Daemon Hunter from your Monk, you just place it in your chest and log in with the other character.
Another Also: You can improve your Blacksmithing skills and Jewelcrafting skills. If you do so, they will be improved accross all your characters. So, you farm resources with your highest character and you will be good. My tip: Always demount jewels before selling/destroying items you don't want to use anymore. Can't have enough of them.
Not really. Since this game is clearly more made towards multiplayer and will include PVP at one time, people who cheat might ultimately be a threat to other people's game experience. As an example: If I play a sorcerer and I am one of the Damage Dealers, I don't want to feel useless because someone hacked (or altered) his Barbarian's equipment and slashes everything with two hits. Where would be the fun in that game? Where is my sense of accomplishment? I also don't want to be forced to run alone to avoid these kind of things... If that is rendered impossible with the online-only system, I am guarantied a better quality and fairness. Besides: Played through Normal difficulty with a Monk - easy as pie! Really! Diablo didn't get me below 50% health. I already realized that Nightmare, the next difficulty, is way harder and starts to be more fun. There again: I can't cheat my way through and I think it is way more rewarding.