Cross your fingers, PC gamers. And then uncross them, because you’ll be needing to click rapid-fire.
Back in May, we learned that Blizzard was hoping to unleash the closed beta test for its infernal slash-and-loot RPG sometime this summer. Now, signs have surfaced that indicate that while we likely won’t see the beta in July, we could see it as soon as August 1st.
Blizzard has extended an invitation to members of the gaming press to come visit its headquarters in Irvine, California in July, for a shindig all about the Diablo III beta. As with most press events, the information is embargoed (meaning, folks can’t write about it) until the first of August.
Now, as MTV Multiplayer points out, this is fairly solid proof that we won’t see the beta in July, or else the gamers playing it would beat the press to all the scoops.
It does, however, make it all the more likely that the official Diablo III beta would start on or shortly after the first of August. After all, why hold a press event about a beta that you don’t plan on launching for a while?
It’s hardly concrete confirmation here, so I wouldn’t go booking time off from work in August – but it is an interesting bit of news nonetheless. One wonders what the scope of the D3 beta could be, because unlike StarCraft II the game doesn’t have a heavily promoted multiplayer-only component that needs balancing.
I’ve played Diablo III at each of the past three BlizzCons, and every time I’ve found myself absolutely loving it. The game is shaping up to be phenomenal, and I’m crossing my fingers that we get some hands-on time sooner rather than later.
