Blizzard has finally announced a release date for Diablo III. The game will arrive on May 15, with pre-orders starting today on the Blizzard website.
Diablo III costs $59.99. For $99.99, a collector's edition offers: a DVD copy of the game; a behind-the-scenes, two-disc Blu-ray/DVD set; a CD soundtrack of the game; a 208-page book of Diablo III art; a 4GB USB soulstone that includes full versions of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and a corresponding skull base; and exclusive in-game content for Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
Gamers have waited for more than three years since Diablo III was originally announced to get an actual date for the game. In September, Blizzard pushed the date to 2012, and last month it said it would not release the game until at least April.
"After many years of hard work by our development team and months of beta testing by hundreds of thousands of dedicated players around the world, we're now in the homestretch," Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime said in a statement. "We look forward to putting the final polish on Diablo III over the next two months and delivering the ultimate action-RPG experience to gamers worldwide starting on May 15."
Diablo III is the third installment in the Diablo franchise. It takes place in the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary, where players must fight off evil forces from the armies of the Burning Hells.