Blizzard has confirmed that the upcoming Diablo 3 will be coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well, in addition to the PC version. The news was broken by a Blizzard developer who responded to a tweet, confirming that devs are working on a console version of Diablo 3. We can’t say that we’re surprised, considering that console games bring in much more revenue than PC games, and that PC-exclusives are almost a thing of the past (unless it’s an MMO).

10: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Last time a Counter-Strike game was released was almost 8 years ago, back in 2004. Despite its age, a lot of gamers still play Counter-Strike, it’s one of the purest shooters on the market today, and even the decade old Counter Strike 1.6 has an avid player base. This year, we’re getting the long awaited sequel, called Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which will hit all major platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X. Release date: May.

9: Max Payne 3

No other games have been able to pull off the neo-noir style like Max Payne and Max Payne 2. Max Payne 3 will bring many changes, chief of which is the setting: Max Payne has left New York and, as Rockstar puts it, has “drifted from bad to worse”. Release date: March.

8: Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is the final game in the BioWare’s sci-fi series, and as expected, continues from where Mass Effect 2 left off. Mass Effect 3 will feature refined combat, and will offer a multiplayer co-op mode as well. Release date: March.

7: Mario Party 9

The Mario Party series spans 14 games, and 2012 will see the 15th entry in the franchise — a franchise that has sold over 50 million units worldwide. Mario Party 9 for the Wii brings back the usual cast of Mario, Luigi, and some 30 other playable characters. On top of that, Mario Party 9 will feature 30 mini games as well. Release date: March.

6: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is set between Metal Gear Solid 2 and MGS 4, and follows Raiden, a Katana-wielding cyborg ninja. Let’s repeat that again: you’ll be playing as a Katana-wielding cyborg ninja. What else is there to say? Release date: November.

5: Hitman Absolution

We haven’t seen much from the Hitman series for over half a decade since Hitman: Blood Money was released. The new game is called Hitman Absolution, but details of the story and setting are vague at this point. All we know is that it’s built using a brand new engine, and that Agent 47 is finally back in action. Release date: July.

4: Halo 4

Halo 4 is the first Halo game not developed by Bungie, which means the pressure on developer 343 Industries is immense. Halo 4 is set right after Halo 3, and marks the return of Master Chief as the main protagonist. Release date: September.

3: BioShock Infinite

The prequel to what’s arguably one of the best games of the 2000s, BioShock Infinite takes place several decades before BioShock, and centers around the floating city of Columbia. Release date: September.

2: Diablo 3

It’s been over a decade since we’ve last seen anything from the Diablo franchise. Diablo 3 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, and focus on dungeon crawling and hack and slash gameplay. With five different character classes, tons of dungeons, and PVP combat as well, Diablo 3 is the most anticipated RPG of the year.
Release date: July.

1: Grand Theft Auto V

There are popular game franchises, and then there are popular game franchises. And then there’s Grand Theft Auto, a series that has sold over 120 million copies to date. Grand Theft Auto 5 returns to Los Angeles, or rather “Los Santos”, as the fictional city is called. Expect tons of missions, cars, weapons, and may, just maybe, a bowling mini-game. Release date: October.

There are so many different titles on the market that it’s almost becoming hard for up and coming studios to differentienate themselves from one another. However, on the flip side of things, veteran game studios like Blizzard have no problem pushing out titles that put up impressive sales numbers time and time again. A prime example of this would be World of Warcraft and its 3 successive expansion packs which have all managed to sell like hot cakes.

Well if you’ve been following the developments of Blizzard you’ll know that the studio has been hard at work on Diablo III for quite some time. To make matters worse, the studio has yet to give us a solid release date only saying that it will be out when it’s ready. Luckily they have come forth today to say the following:

We’re definitely in the home stretch. We’re crunching. This is when the magic happens.

What exactly this means we aren’t sure but let’s cross our fingers and assume it means Diablo III will be 0ut before the end of the year.

If you’re any sort of self respecting gamer you’ve undoubtedly heard of Blizzard. This game company is one of the most successful currently on the market with titles like World of Warcraft and StarCraft 2 gaining positive reception across the board. However, the outfit also has another title coming to market (hopefully this year) that has been generating a ton of buzz dubbed Diablo 3.

While Diablo and 2 have been PC games, there have been some rumors that Diablo 3 would be making the jump to consoles. While Blizzard has yet to speak of the matter, they have just posted a job listing seeking potential candidates for a Diablo title that have a background in console development. Below is said listing:

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a highly organized individual with outstanding communications and project management skills for the Diablo team. The ideal candidate has prior experience in console game development and has a keen knowledge of how each discipline operates and interacts. Self-direction and follow-up skills are a must, as well as the ability to anticipate production issues and find effective solutions. The candidate must be fully committed to seeing projects through from inception to completion, and delivering games on time with the highest quality.

Of course, this doesn’t official confirm that Diablo 3 will be coming to consoles it would make a bit of sense considering it would allow Blizzard to reach a whole new audience with their game.

via gamasutra

Just about every one of Blizzard’s video game franchises has been immensely popular with titles like World of Warcraft and StarCraft II reminding us of this. However, one title that many gamers have been anticipating has yet to hit the market – Diablo 3. This game has been in development for quite some time but the company has yet to announce a solid release date. With such little to be said about the game’s release, this has led to worried gamers thinking Blizzard may miss a 2011 release.

Luckily, word has just recently gotten out that Blizzard still plans to release Diablo 3 in 2011, provided everything goes according to plan with the company’s VP Rob Pardo saying the following: “We really, really hope so. That’s our goal.” Of course, this sound terribly comforting considering he’s hoping that the company releases the game in 2011 but it does give us some hope that they are at least trying their hardest.

Let’s hope we see a lot more of Diablo 3 during BlizzCon 11.

via gizmodo

Blizzard is giving out several details on its upcoming Diablo 3 RPG, and they revealed, among other things, that the game will feature PvP arenas, where players can take on other players, a first in the Diablo universe. These arenas will be placed throughout the game and there will also be a possibility of team battles as well, with one team vs. another. Players will also be able to earn skill points and achievements during the battles.

Diablo III may be well into development but that doesn’t mean people have stopped playing Diablo II. Blizzard has evidently made note of this fact and has gone ahead and released the 1.13c update for Diablo II.

The update provides some improvements and bug fixes for the classic game all of which you can view in the patch notes after the break.

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We already knew that Diablo III was on its way but what we didn’t know is that Blizzard is actually working on sequels, not just one. Word comes from Activision SEC filings that lets us know of the sequels but what could it possible mean?

While there is a chance that Blizzard is working on Diablo IV, chances are that it’s hinting towards the Diablo III expansions that are sure to follow. Then again, there is a chance that this is at typo and we’re getting worked up over nothing. You never know.

And, knowing Blizzard, if Diablo IV is in the pipeline, we wont’ hear about it for years.

via joystiq

Anyone who has followed Blizzard games throughout the years knows what Battle.net is. If you don’t know what it is, it’s Blizzard’s online network for pretty much all of their games. Well, with the impending release of Starcraft II and Diablo III, Blizzard has decided to give the service a complete overhaul, incorporating things like social networking, matchmaking and a full competitive ladder system.

Want to get an indepth look at the new Battle.net? Head here.

Mmm… Look at those pretty Diablo 3 screens… Thanks a lot Blizzard, for reminding us that the game won’t be out until 2011. And for the screens.