Diablo III – now landing in ‘early’ 2012

World of Warcraft developer Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo III will not be released this side of Christmas.

In actual fact, the game is now expected to be released in the still somewhat speculative early 2012” timeframe.

As a result the game’s closed beta period has been extended, with the potential now for more players to be added. Those interested can ask for consideration at Battle.net.

"With every game we make, the temptation is always very strong to launch as soon as possible,” Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaine stated.

However, we didn’t put so many years of work intoDiabloIIIto release a game that was almost ready. The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we’re taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players.

Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers."