Diablo 3 Box - P 2012
Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard, has yet another global blockbuster PC game hit. After a 10-year wait, gamers were eager to jump back into the fantasy realm of Sanctuary with Diablo III. Blizzard sold over 3.5 million copies of the role-playing game in its first 24 hours. Blizzard had an additional 1.2 million gamers who received a free copy of the game for subscribing to the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion.
As of the first week of the game’s availability, that number had already grown to more than 6.3 million. These figures do not include players in Korean Internet game rooms, where Diablo III has become the top-played game, achieving a record share of more than 39% as of May 22.
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“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.”
Diablo III went live on May 15, with more than 8,000 retailers throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau opening their doors to players at midnight or concurrently with the local release time in celebration of the launch. In addition to being able to buy the game at retail stores, gamers in the regions above as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil are also able to purchase Diablo III digitally via the official Diablo III website (http://www.diablo3.com).
“We’re especially proud of the gameplay feedback we’ve received from players worldwide,” said Morhaime. “We’re pleased that Diablo III has lived up to players’ high expectations, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead.”
Commenting on the game’s sales achievement, Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop, said, “Diablo III was one of our biggest PC launches ever and will help make this a record year for Blizzard at GameStop.”
According to John Love, director of video games at Amazon.com, “Not only did Diablo III break the record for most preordered PC game of all-time on Amazon.com, but it also shattered the record for best day-one sales for any PC game ever on Amazon.com.” Blizzard thanks its retail partners around the world for their support and commitment to the Diablo series.
Diablo III is the latest chapter in Blizzard’s critically acclaimed action–role-playing-game series. The game continues the epic Diablo storyline, with players taking on the role of one of five heroic characters — barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, or demon hunter — and embarking on a perilous quest to save the world of Sanctuary from the corrupting forces of the Burning Hells. As players adventure through rich and varied settings, they’ll engage in pulse-pounding combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, grow in experience and ability, acquire artifacts of incredible power, and meet key characters who’ll join them in battle or aid them in other ways.
