Difference between revisions of "Media Coverage"

Revision as of 22:47, 9 May 2011

This page lists all Diablo III coverage; previews, interviews, pictures, videos, designer diaries, forum post, and more. Anything from the D3 Team that's substantial enough to warrant a news post on Diii.net gets an entry on this page. Larger interviews and other features are sometimes archived in this section one month after they go online, to ward off link rot.

• If you're interested in updating this page, please check out the Media Coverage/Guidelines first.
• Jump back to the earlier years of Media Coverage, archived to keep down the page size. Links right below here.

If you are new to Diablo or Diablo III development, you can read up on the topic here:

• Diablo 3 Basics - The light source of all known Diablo III data in one fact sheet.

May 2011

• Blue Post: May 9, 2011 -- Diablo fans finally got concrete word from Blizzard regarding the Diablo III beta test during the Activision-Blizzard conference call on that same day. The timeframe given was the third quarter of 2011, later clarified by Bashiok to mean July 1st to September 30th. This event was covered by diablo.incgamers.com with a live chat[1].

• Commentary: May 9, 2011 -- The seventh Diablo podcast from incgamers surfaces, and it includes an excellent interview with Seth Schiesel, who was the author of a New York Times interview with Jay Wilson.

• Other: May 9, 2011 -- The first news item on Unicorn Day is that Diablo II will be featured at a video game exhibit in the Smithsonian museum in the United States. Contentions mount over which games were or were not selected for the exhibit.

• Blue Post: May 8, 2011 -- Bashiok responds to a fan about "useless" traits, revealing that three traits have been removed from the game (with the possibility of more), being Just...Stay...Dead!, Demonsbane, and also Beast Hunter, including rationale behind how Blizzard handles the traits.

• Picture: May 8, 2011 -- A delicious facebook update (numbering fifteen) is released showing the amazing interpretation of Diablo from Glowei, in addition to two screenshots featuring the Wizard and Demon Hunter (casting Fan of Knives) in Act I.

• Interview: May 7, 2011 -- Flux secures an interview with Matt Uelmen, former Blizzard music composer, now working for Runic Games. He gives some very interesting insight into the process of creating music for video games.

• Blue Post: May 6, 2011 -- Bashiok replies to a thread asking whether or not the Witch Doctor's Firebat spell is too busy, and also drops some new information about changes to the Barbarian's Whirlwind ability.

• Blue Post: May 6, 2011 -- @Diablo cruelly teases about the diablo beta by offering 5,911 winning points to someone participating in the hashtag twitter promotion. It is widely accepted specualtion that 5,911 points refers to Unicorn Day, the 9th of May, where the Blizzard conference call will be held speaking in one manner or another of the Diablo III beta.

• Interview: May 5, 2011 -- In an interview with Frank Pearce, the subject of mobile phone gaming emerges where Pearce makes speculation as to what Diablo III fans may be able to look forward to in terms of apps, citing the armory and Auction House apps for World of WarCraft. General fan reaction is very positive.

• Commentary: May 5, 2011 -- The Diablo podcast reaches number six with talk centered chiefly around cosplay at BlizzCon.

• Picture: May 4, 2011 -- The official Blizzard facebook page reached 1 million likes, prompting the release of a wallpaper by Blizzard art director Samwise. Diablo (from Diablo II) is featured prominently in the upper-left corner of the art piece.

• Interview: May 4, 2011 -- The perpetually blooming flower of the Jay Wilson interview with diablo3.cc is finally brought to light with a full transcript, sorted and color-coded for viewing ease.

• Picture: May 3, 2011 -- While not official game art, Varquynne finds a pic called "Skeleton Queen" by current Blizzard artist Oliver Chipping.

• Other: May 3, 2011 -- Fan Friskydingo points out that at some point in web development, some of the bestiary pages were updated with animated images of some of the monsters in Diablo III.

• Blue Post: May 3, 2011 -- Bashiok offers an explanation on the changes to the skill hotbar on the interface, and it proves to be almost as confusing to explain as item tiers. Concerns are raised over the loss of the swap function on the interface as it pertains to forcing players to use keyboard shortcuts over the mouse.

• Picture: May 2, 2011 -- The fourteenth facebook installment is released, showing a rather odd version of the goatman in concept art, along with a pleasant screenshot of the Witch Doctor casting his Firebat spell.

• Commentary: May 2, 2011 -- The fifth Diablo podcast is released, going over what was shown in the Jay Wilson interview, including the dropping of BoE and other talk of items.

• Picture: May 2, 2011 -- Another BlizzCon graphic featuring Diablo is shown on the Blizzard BlizzCon website; this time it is an animated flash file showing a mysterious four-sectioned hole in Diablo's animated chest. Speculation ranges from humorous to absurd.

• Interview: May 1, 2011 -- The full interview with Jay Wilson from diablo3.cc is posted, and expands on what was commented on before.

April 2011

• Blue Post: April 30, 2011 -- @Diablo takes a moment to inform the fans that the skill swap hotkey has been removed from the interface, but is still bindable within the game.

• Blue Post: April 29, 2011 -- Bashiok dips into the bnet forums to speak on why BoE was dropped from the game, and also elaborates a bit on how set items will function in Diablo III, revealing that they are all of legendary quality.

• Interview: April 29, 2011 -- An interview with Jay Wilson surfaces, conducted by fansite diablo3.cc, and he delves into a variety of subjects including key bindings, BoE being dropped from the game, Set Items, and more. In addition to the interview, forumite Kuangtu also posts pictures of Jay Wilson taken during the event which are, of course, DiabLOL'd to great effect.

• Blue Post: April 28, 2011 -- Bashiok offers a non-committal response to a fan asking about the mercenary system in Diablo III.

• Commentary: April 27, 2011 -- The fourth episode of the Diablo Podcast debuts, centering on the subject of the arena demo from BlizzCon 2010.

• Interview: April 26, 2011 -- A preview emerges by the New York Times with Jay Wilson, offering fans a commentary on trade, and also a tantalizing quote by Jay Wilson about how the game is in the final stretch. Those who are not excited are those who followed StarCraft II's development, realizing that "the final stretch" can extend well past the horizon into cosmic space where time has no meaning.

• Blue Post: April 26, 2011 -- The mousey @Diablo nibbles at the cheese of relevancy during a slow news day by commenting on the function of the Scroll of Wealth, in addition to randomization, and a response to a fan asking for information on followers in Diablo III.

• Picture: April 26, 2011 -- The thirteenth episode of Facebook likes reveals concept art for Caldeum guards, and a screenshot of an arena battle which is nearly identical to all the other arena screenshots.

• Video: April 25, 2011 -- Machinima assembles a History of Blizzard video which manages to cover much more than the 20th Anniversary video from Blizzard itself.

• Commentary: April 25, 2011 -- The Diablo podcast returns to speak about BlizzCon with fellow convention goers Dana, Exile, and Neinball.

• Commentary: April 23, 2011 -- The demo specs were revealed for the machines running Diablo III at G-Star in Korea. It is widely accepted that these specs have no true bearing on the final system requirements for the game, as the game had yet to be optimized at that point.

• Blue Post: April 22, 2011 -- Bashiok replies to a fan's question about whether or not the game plays differently from 2008 to 2011, and also @Diablo comments in a sarcastic tone to a request for a new monster description, and some shallow commentary on lore.

• Picture: April 21, 2011 -- Another facebook milestone is reached, the twelfth to be exact, revealing concept art for the Unburied monster, in addition to another screenshot featuring the Demon Hunter and her Entangling Shot.

• Commentary: April 19, 2011 -- Speculation ramps up over the conference call, revealed to be May 9th (Unicorn Day), which promises to reveal something (or nothing?) about the Diablo III beta. Speculation seems to point amongst a varied or vague timeframe for the beta to occur.

• Blue Post: April 19, 2011 -- This posting by Bashiok is rather a milestone in the development process of Diablo III as, for the first time, semi-specific details about the Diablo III beta are released. Part info, part expectation management, Bashiok informs fans that the beta will only contain a small part of the game, and it won't be underway until the remaining systems are announced. It is unknown how many systems are left, or when they will be announced.

• Blue Post: April 19, 2011 -- Bashiok breaks up a slappy fan-fight on the battle.net forums on the subject of breakpoints in Diablo III. Breakpoints have ever been a point of contention amongst the fanbase, and it is readily apparent by Bashiok's explanation that it is, indeed, a very hard thing to explain accurately. Fan consensus is that not enough data is available to judge one way or another how breakpoints will affect Diablo III.

• Commentary: April 18, 2011 -- Conversations emerge about the price of BlizzCon tickets. While some feel they are overpriced, others say that they are well worth the cost.

• Commentary: April 18, 2011 -- The second DiabloCast emerges, where Flux and Elly continue their interview with Max Schaefer, this time pointing the mic at Torchlight and aspects behind designing that type of game.

• Interview: April 17, 2011 -- Kevin Martens performs his spectacular voodoo in an interview with Atomic Gamer. Martens speaks of what makes the Diablo franchise last as long as it does, Diablo on consoles and smartphones, and more.

• Picture: April 17, 2011 -- Pictures emerge from the G-Star Korean gaming convention, by the player named "Vader, showing off some interface shots in addition to a death screen, and more.

• Blue Post: April 16, 2011 -- Bashiok comments on unchanging skill runes in Diablo III after a fan voices concern that the base skill won't be represented or used within the game. It is once again emphasized that there are runes that do not change the nature of the skill, only boost things such as damage, duration, or reducing resource cost.

• Blue Post: April 15, 2011 -- @Diablo returns to comment on synergies, health orbs in the arena, and also plugs a youtube video offering a summary of Diablo I's storyline in a humorous fashion.

• Picture: April 15, 2011 -- The eleventh edition of facebook likes shows off a fancy torture device, in addition to a screenshot that does not contain the torture device. However, a high-resolution shot of an as-of-yet unnamed Monk skill can be seen in the screenshot.

• Blue Post: April 14, 2011 -- @Diablo speaks out about armor dye and item modifiers. Not much in the way of new info, but it is revealed that not all of the armor dyes have been...revealed.

• Other: April 14, 2011 -- A "report" from a supposed playtester for Diablo III surfaces, on 4chan of course, about details on the game. It is widely assumed to be completely falsified, but Blizzard never offers a confirmation or rejection.

• Blue Post: April 14, 2011 -- Bashiok covers the subject of when and how the game is randomized, and the differences in randomization between the "overworld" and in a dungeon. He also talks smack about the cowardly Fallen, ironically represented by one himself in the battle.net forums.

• Picture: April 13, 2011 -- New artwork for Diablo emerges for BlizzCon 2011, showing Big Red himself taking center stage, in all of his/her/its fiery glory.

• Blue Post: April 13, 2011 -- Blizzard ramps up their twitter campaign by introducing the hashtag program. From this date forward, the twitter account becomes much more social than formal in not only atmosphere but function.

• Blue Post: April 12, 2011 -- The sales date for BlizzCon tickets is announced, so fans can be prepared to not get to buy tickets on both May 21st, and also May 25th, 2011.

• Commentary: April 12, 2011 -- The incgamer's Diablo Podcast emerges for its first episode, with an interview with Max Schaefer on the subjects surrounding Diablo III development by Blizzard North

• Blue Post: April 10, 2011 -- @Diablo goes on a micro-post spree, following the subjects of Witch Doctor skills and builds, balancing mechanics, and also life leech in Diablo III.

• Blue Post: April 9, 2011 -- The official Korean Diablo twitter account reveals no new information, besides that an official Blizzard twitter account exists for Korea.

• Picture: April 9, 2011 -- The tenth edition of facebook likes hits the wall, showing off concept art for a goatman spearman, in addition to a screenshot featuring Arcane Orb post-kablooey.

• Blue Post: April 8, 2011 -- Someone at Blizzard re-activates the @Diablo automated response mechanism, where the subjects of crafting, salvage item stacking, waypoint spoilers and more are spoken of in 140 characters or less. It's usually less.

• Blue Post: April 8, 2011 -- Bashiok posts on the subject of rushing (and why it may be acceptable to a point), and also comments on salvaging materials as drops instead of, well, salvage.

• Interview: April 7, 2011 -- In another interview with former Diablo dev Max Schaefer, it is revealed that Diablo III was originally planned as an MMO, albeit more like Mythos and less like World of WarCraft. Community reaction seems rather torn.

• Blue Post: April 7, 2011 -- The Polish April Fool's box art is officially debunked by Bashiok, who also comments on the level cap increase (or lack thereof) in subsequent expansion packs to Diablo III.

• Blue Post: April 6, 2011 -- That same day, Bashiok emerges from his long beastly slumber to make very elaborate arguments for the level 60 hard cap in Diablo III.

• Commentary: April 6, 2011 -- Flux comments on the Diablo Drought, and the community lets out a collective sigh. It seems that, amongst all of the Blizzard development cycles, Diablo III seems to have more stretches of time between any information whatsoever than many other games, yet the community errs on the side of reluctant excitement.

• Picture: April 5, 2011 -- A latent April Fool's Day grenade blows up amongst the Diablo community when a fake concept box for Diablo III appears from a Polish website. The graphic is very unimpressive, and yet somehow manages to fool a large portion of the community.

• Picture: April 1, 2011 -- The ninth edition of the facebook likes campaign was a missed April Fool's opportunity, but featured another stunning concept from Brom of an Activated Vessel, and another Act I screenshot.

• Other: April 1, 2011 -- April First appears in all its glory, all its horror, as Blizzard announces their Horadric Cube smartphone app, in addition to StarCraft II on kinect, while World of WarCraft receives a dungeon helper and the tomb of immortal darkness. Diablo fans around the globe wet their collective one-piece pajamas in jealousy. Later in the day, a set of very funny patch notes appear for SC2 and WoW.

March 2011

• Video: March 31, 2011 -- Another video appears showing Leap Attack, Ancient Spear, Mirror Image with a crimson rune, and many others. The video takes place in an arena battle.

• Video: March 30, 2011 -- A ninja'd video from BlizzCon 2010 appears on youtube, showing off Blizzard, Zombie Bears, and Fetish Army.

• Commentary: March 29, 2011 -- A poll appears on diii.net asking players how they played the PVE game. Large numbers of them chose the option of experimentation along with several favorite characters and builds.

• Blue Post: March 28, 2011 -- @Diablo announces that Blizzard is not ready to make a beta announcement, despite the paradox. The community is shocked and surprised that Blizzard requires more time.

• Blue Post: March 28, 2011 -- Bashiok announces that the ladder reset is completed for Diablo II.

• Interview: March 28, 2011 -- Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce speak about Bobby Kotick, a fellow who is adored world-wide for his compassion, intelligence, and business ethic. Morhaime and Pearce defend his good name in an interview with MCV UK.

• Interview: March 27, 2011 -- Frank Pearce comments on the subject of a "Blizzard University" in this article from GamaSutra. It is supposed that there will be a class revolving around usage of the word "soon".

• Picture: March 26, 2011 -- An interesting chart showing the "lineage" of former Blizzard employees is released by PC Gamer.

• Blue Post: March 25, 2011 -- Bashiok speaks up on the subject of item tiers (again), hardcore death in arena, a mysterious comment on Town Portals, and more.

• Picture: March 24, 2011 -- The facebook like campaign reaches another milestone, and fans are greeted by concept art for Horrify and an unrelated screenshot featuring the Demon Hunter shooting a Bolo Shot.

• Interview: March 22, 2011 -- Max Schaefer comments once more on Torchlight, Diablo III, and consoles in this interview with Charged Shot.

• Blue Post: March 22, 2011 -- Bashiok speaks on how to enter the beta and how the beta keys will be given, and Flux is threatened multiple times for a very attention-grabby headline. Shenanigans ensue.

• Blue Post: March 22, 2011 -- The Diablo II ladder tale finds itself entering another chapter when it is announced that the reset will occur March 28th.

• Picture: March 21, 2011 -- The facebook like campaign produces pixels again with viper concept art by Brom in addition to a screenshot of arena play.

• Interview: March 21, 2011 -- Frank Pearce speaks on the subject of cannibalizing the World of WarCraft fanbase by releasing Diablo III in this interview with GamaSutra.

• Commentary: March 21, 2011 -- Argument ensues when the facebook "likes" begin to quicken their pace in dramatic fashion.

• Blue Post: March 18, 2011 -- Bashiok posts a flurry of responses on the subjects of alt'ing for items, trade and pvp concepts, the Barbarian's Revenge skill, and more. @Diablo later returns to further clarify the use of revenge.

• Blue Post: March 18, 2011 -- Bashiok responds to a fairly odd question from a fan about character movement directions.

• Picture: March 17, 2011 -- The facebook like campaign bears rosy sweet blooms of Hydra concept art goodness, along with a screenshot chiefly featuring Activated Vessels.

• Blue Post: March 17, 2011 -- Bashiok speaks at (great) length on why Diablo III developers don't comment on the forums, and general responses to questions and comments about PR. Flux is indicted on charges of shenanigans. Bashiok also comments on it later.

• Blue Post: March 16, 2011 -- Blizzard announces their contest where contestants must make a video detailing their memories of Blizzard.

• Commentary: March 16, 2011 -- DIII.net posits to gamers whether or not they'd play in a Diablo III ladder season, with the results being heavily skewed towards "no".

• Interview: March 15, 2011 -- Max Schaefer comments on the threat of the looming, yet never impending, release of Diablo III getting in the way of Torchlight's success, and also speaks on how controls can and should operate on console versions of ARPGs in this interview with cgmonthly.

• Blue Post: March 15, 2011 -- The winners of the fan fiction contest are revealed. In related news: Diablo stories have no representation.

• Blue Post: March 15, 2011 -- Bashiok speaks at length on the philosophy behind balancing PVP and PVE separately, stating that PVP balance shouldn't ever affect PVE.

• Video: March 14, 2011 -- The art controversy shows its colorful head once more in the form of another edited gameplay video uploaded to youtube.

• Blue Post: March 12, 2011 -- Bashiok decrees that Diablo won't be showing its face at PAX East.

• Picture: March 11, 2011 -- The Diablo facebook campaign yields goodies for the fifth time, showing concept art of the Treasure Seeker and a screenshot featuring the Monk in Act II. Bashiok comments on the treasure seeker later in the day.

• Blue Post: March 10, 2011 -- Bashiok returns to the scene of the crime to once again confuse fans out of their wits about the item tier system. Perhaps visual aids are in order.

• Blue Post: March 10, 2011 -- @Diablo makes micro-remarks on the subject of BlizzCon, the Gargantuan, bosses, and item nerfing via patches.

• Blue Post: March 9, 2011 -- Bashiok comments on combat stats such as dodge, the process of swapping runes, and weapon choices.

• Blue Post: March 9, 2011 -- Bashiok weighs in on ladder resets for Diablo II.

• Picture: March 9, 2011 -- Early Ranger/Demon Hunter concept art is revealed by Phroilan Gardner, repeat offender.

• Blue Post: March 9, 2011 -- Blizzard shows off the underwhelming Blizzard timeline for their 20th anniversary, being referred to by one fan as a "WarCraft wankfest".

• Blue Post: March 8, 2011 -- Bashiok comments on the development stage of Diablo III, following confusion surrounding the Morhaime/Pearce comments earlier in the week.

• Blue Post: March 8, 2011 -- @Diablo continues to confuse fans by attempting to explain the item tier system.

• Blue Post: March 7, 2011 -- Bashiok reveals that the Barbarian's signature blue warpaint will reappear as an actual item look.

• Picture: March 4, 2011 -- New claw viper art is revealed by ex-Blizzard employee Phroilan Gardner.

• Picture: March 3, 2011 -- New screenshot and artwork via the Facebook "likes" campaign, including the ever-creepy Tristram cathedral.

• Blue Post: March 1, 2011 -- @Diablo speaks on the subject of gems, zoom, and Blizzard jobs.

• Interview: March 1, 2011 -- Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce speak about how Diablo III is technically completed in a French interview.

• Blue Post: March 1, 2011 -- Bashiok details arguments surrounding Magic Find.

February 2011

• Blue Post: February 26, 2011 -- Bashiok argues for balance in the PvP Arena play... just not too much.

• Picture: February 22, 2011 -- New screenshot and artwork via the Facebook "likes" campaign.

• Commentary: February 20, 2011 -- The Demon Hunter's dual-resources, Hatred and Discipline, are evaluated with info from the recent D3 Team interviews.

• Blue Post: February 19, 2011 -- Bashiok on Diablo III's less "spiky," "macro" style of combat damage.

• Interview: February 18, 2011 -- The male Demon Hunter at last debuts, with screenshots, concept art, and four new developer interviews with Gamestar, DiabloFans, GamePlanetNZ, and Gamespot. His animation is added a few days later, and a vote finds that nearly 80% of 2200 voters "love" or "like" the character's look.

2005 shot from Blizzard North's early D3.

• Picture: February 17, 2011 -- The first screenshots ever leaked from Blizzard North's version of Diablo III appear, via Kotaku. Fan comments are legion, and largely positive. A vote on Diii.net reveals that a slight majority of fans prefer the look of the 2005 version of the game.

• Picture: February 15, 2011 -- The second pair of Facebook images are released, for 25k more "likes."

• Blue Post: February 12, 2011 -- @Diablo reveals a pair of new runestone effects.

• Blue Post: February 11, 2011 -- Bashiok tirelessly defends Blizzard's very slow, iteration-heavy game design philosophy.

• Blue Post: February 11, 2011 -- Blizzard kicks off their 20th anniversary celebration with a shiny page that has no real content.

• Blue Post: February 10, 2011 -- One of the WoW community managers answers 20 questions about what the Blizzard CMs do in their jobs.

• Blue Post: February 9, 2011 -- The 4Q 2010 Activision/Blizzard conference call creates a huge controversy by seeming to rule out any Blizzard game releases in 2011. That conclusion is disputed by Bashiok later that day, then in a more formal forum post, then by Rob Pardo later that week. All say that D3 may still be released in 2011, and that Tom Tippl's investor legalese was misunderstood in the conference call.

• Video: February 9, 2011 -- A short video interview on G4TV includes zero new info from Jason Bender.

• Picture: February 9, 2011 -- The first Facebook screenshot/artwork is released, creating some annoyance for fans who had expected never-before-seen imagery.

• Other: February 9, 2011 -- A fan re-scores the Diablo III cinematic introduction, creating a whole different viewing experience.

• Blue Post: February 9, 2011 -- Bashiok explains the big changes to defense, resistance, and blocking in Diablo III. Lots of follow-up posts are added a couple of days later.

• Blue Post: February 8, 2011 -- @Diablo on NPC deaths and critical hit displays.

• Blue Post: February 7, 2011 -- The Diablo Facebook page "looks for likes" program kicks off, promising new images for every 25,000 likes from 550k to 1 million. Updates commence at a pace of about one per week.

• Blue Post: February 7, 2011 -- Blizzcon 2011 is announced for October 21-22, once again in the Anaheim Convention Center.

• Blue Post: February 5, 2011 -- Bashiok comments on how Diablo III will avoid (or not) the "clown clothing" look that often afflicts characters in Diablo II.

• Commentary: February 4, 2011 -- How similar will the items your character wears look to items in the inventory or on the ground? Quite similar, in most cases, as this article discusses.

• Other: February 2, 2011 -- Demons in real life vs. computer games. A huge fan debate over an article by a guy who used Diablo to overcome his fear of the supernatural goes some distance towards explaining why Blizzard has worked to remove all of the crosses, pentagrams, and other Christian references from WoW and D3.

January 2011

• Interview: January 24, 2011 -- Bashiok discusses higher difficulty level monster AI changes and improvements with Flux. The non-transcript contains some interesting tidbits.

• Picture: January 20, 2011 -- Very cool light show photos of Christina Estrada in her Blizzcon 2010 costume contest winning female Monk cosplay outfit are discovered.

• Commentary: January 20, 2011 -- Shrines enter the discussion. Can their largely-irrelevant role in Diablo II be improved upon this time around?

• Blue Post: January 20, 2011 -- The Demon Hunter's new skill, Sentry is revealed via a pair of @Diablo tweets.

• Blue Post: January 19, 2011 -- Blizzard reveals the winners of their 2010 Holiday Card Contest, and amusingly includes one entry that reused official Diablo II artwork from 2004. (Blizzard sticks the newest CM hires and interns with judging fan contests, and they tend not to know anything Blizzard did before WoW.)

Strong and sexy?

• Blue Post: January 19, 2011 -- @Diablo disputes a fan's claim that the female Barbarian is not sexy.

• Blue Post: January 18, 2011 -- Starcraft II finally gets chat channels, plus a retrospective of the B.net chat for all Blizzard titles.

• Commentary: January 17, 2011 -- Class silhouettes are compared to the final versions and found... to represent early concept art, not the finished model.

• Blue Post: January 14, 2011 -- @Diablo with a burst of tweets on items, skills, runes, and more.

• Blue Post: January 13, 2011 -- Bashiok says the male Demon Hunter is nearly ready to reveal. Two weeks later the reveal was pushed back since his animations needed more work. Additional explanation came the next day. (Yet when he was revealed, it was all in artwork and still shots that showed us nothing of his movement style.)

• Blue Post: January 13, 2011 -- Bashiok provides detailed answers to five questions about runestones.

• Blue Post: January 11, 2011 -- Bashiok defends the Wizard skill Disintegrate from accusations of being overpowered and unbalanced.

• Blue Post: January 11, 2011 -- Bashiok reports that Diablo III pets and minions won't have direct control in their AI.

• Other: January 9, 2011 -- Two monsters designed for in the first, Blizzard North version of Diablo III, are revealed.

• Blue Post: January 8, 2011 -- Torchlight X-box port announced, with info on how the controls will be converted. Insight into the Diablo III console project?

• Blue Post: January 7, 2011 -- Bashiok on lighting differences in the Act 2 desert.

• Blue Post: January 6, 2011 -- Bashiok on what's now considered "canon" and what is not.

• Video: January 6, 2011 -- A giant fan-recorded video of 17 minutes of Arena battle from Blizzcon pops up and is greeted with delight. Another 14-minute Arena video recorded by the same guys shows up a week later.
• See the Gameplay Video page for links to all gameplay videos, official and unofficial.

• Blue Post: January 5, 2011 -- @Diablo on Charged Bolt changes and end game skill variety. A follow-up/explanation was issued the next day.

December 2010

• Other: December 31, 2010 -- Visiting the blog of the biggest Diablo merchandise collector on earth. More odd stuff than you can imagine, on display.

• Commentary: December 27, 2010 -- Revisiting debates on two issues Blizzcon resolved; a "sexy" character in D3 and the mysterious burning tower that turned out to be Bastion's Keep.

Diablo, by Glowei.

• Picture: December 23, 2010 -- Christmas artwork featuring a demonic, Barbarian Santa Claus. The image was previously used for December in the 2010 Diablo III calendar.

• Picture: December 22, 2010 -- The "Encounters" page debuts on Blizzard's Diablo III site, plus numerous new screenshots. The page is just general info on combat, but the images are nice.

• Blue Post: December 21, 2010 -- Bashiok brings a year end surprise with news that all of the attributes in Diablo III have been completely reworked. No more strength, dexterity, etc. The attributes have all new names and combined, more complicated functions. Check the wiki articles for mfull details on the five new attributes: Attack, Precision, Vitality, Defense, and Willpower.

• Picture: December 15, 2010 -- New Artwork of Diablo courtesy of Glowei, with the full image from this year's Blizzcon program cover.

• Picture: December 12, 2010 -- High quality photos of the game interface pop up, taken at the Korean Gstar expo.

• Other: December 9, 2010 -- Blizzard continues to leak like a proverbial sieve, as a rough cut of the ending cinematic for the first SC2 expansion pops up online. The cheesiness of the movie's plot provokes a huge fan discussion of the declining (?) quality of Blizzard's game storytelling.

• Commentary: December 6, 2010 -- Fan vote reveals strong support for all new characters in the expansion. If a D2 char must return, the Paladin and Necromancer are neck and neck in popularity, with the Druid a strong third option.

• Blue Post: December 3, 2010 -- Bashiok comments on gore, decapitations, and Diablo III's planned M-mature rating.

• Blue Post: December 2, 2010 -- @Diablo comments on damage types and explains the difference between poison and disease damage.

• Other: December 2, 2010 -- Blizzard product release date schedule chart is leaked on a Chinese MMO site. Rumors swirl about heads rolling in their Chinese offices, and while Blizzard never officially confirms or denies the document, the subsequent confirmation of codename "Titan" for their next gen MMO provide strong supporting evidence for the legitimacy of the chart.
  • Full details in the Release Date article.

November 2010

• Picture: November 30, 2010 -- A jigsaw collection of screenshots maps out the very short Highlands Passage level from the Blizzcon 2010 demo build.

• Blue Post: November 30, 2010 -- @Diablo shares a lot of info about how the ladder ranking system might work.

• Picture: November 28, 2010 -- Nice collection of concept arts showing the evolution of the Demon Hunter class design.

• Blue Post: November 25, 2010 -- Bashiok shares some new info on the ever-changing Class-Specific Weapon issues of Diablo III.

• Video: November 22, 2010 -- Ninja gameplay footage from Korea. Good picture, terrible action.

• Other: November 16, 2010 -- Blizzard's long-rumored Diablo console project confirmed by job postings on Blizzard.com.

• Picture: November 14, 2010 -- New artwork showing the Witch Doctor's "tentacle armor", by Trent Kanuiga.

• Blue Post: November 12, 2010 -- Bashiok answers some questions about the Demon Hunter's pistol crossbows.

• Blue Post: November 12, 2010 -- Bashiok says Item Sets will probably wind up being an end game item.

• Interview: November 10, 2010 -- A WoW producer talks about WoW's PvP influence on Diablo III's Arenas, and kicks off a huge fan debate about what lacked in WoW's PvP and how D3 is not repeating its mistakes.

• Interview: November 7, 2010 -- Interview with Battle.net lead Greg Canessa on future plans for the service.

• Blue Post: November 3, 2010 -- Bashiok argues against "skill hording" as a game strategy, and for easy respecs. A day later he gave some more replies on this subject. Then later that day, he tried playing a Barbarian and Wizard without spending any skill points and reported back on his findings.

• Blue Post: November 2, 2010 -- Bashiok reveals that the male Barbarian will probably have his backstory changed, making him just another new adventurer instead of the D2 barbarian returned. Fans strongly dislike the idea, but came to understand it better after reflection.

October 2010

Diablo is the joker.

• Other: The Diablo 3 Poker Set is revealed. Full details here, with high quality scans of the new artwork on the cards added a week later.

• Blue Post: October 27, 2010 -- Bashiok discusses the offline single player mode of Diablo III and why they'll be doing all they can to discourage players from using it.

• Blue Post: October 27, 2010 -- Bashiok defends Blizzard's "endless iteration" game design approach.

• Blue Post: October 27, 2010 -- Bashiok on respecing traits and why the Lucky trait is cool.

Blizzcon 2010

BlizzCon 2010 took place October 22-23, 2010, at the Anaheim Convention Center. The D3 developers told us this would be the "biggest Blizzcon ever" in terms of Diablo II information, and it was indeed quite mighty with the Demon Hunter's debut, Arena Battles, the Talisman, traits, the new skill trees, and much more. Check the Blizzcon 2010 news category to see every single news item related to Blizzcon; this Media Coverage page archives the items with substantial content.

Panels

Though fans were upset at the math of 3 Diablo panels vs. 8 WoW and 7 SC2 at Blizzcon, the content and depth of the two Diablo III content panels was exceptional. The Open Q&A was less useful, but such events are always full of "noob" questions of little value to fans who have been following the game closely.

• Gameplay Panel Blizzcon 2010
• Crafting Sanctuary
• Open Q&A Panel

Blizzcon 2010 Diablo III Developer Interviews

• Jay Wilson video interview with Direct TV live from the show.
• Jay Wilson video interview with Diablo 3 ESP, fully transcribed by Diii.net.
• Jay Wilson video interview with G4TV.
• Jay Wilson interview from the Blizzcon program covers the Demon Hunter, skills/traits, and the battle arena.
• Jay Wilson interview with GamePlanet.
• Leonard Boyarsky video interview with Game Pron.
• Leonard Boyarsky video interview with Direct TV.
• Julian Love and Jason Bender video interview with Gamespot.
• Julian Love video interview with Atomix. Full transcript by Diii.net.
• Julian Love interview with Diii.net. Covers the Blizzcon demo, fan reactions, and more.
• Julian Love interview with SlashDot.
• Julian Love interview with GameOnMac.
• Jason Bender and Christian Lichtner interview with VG247.
• Jason Bender and Christian Lichtner interview with BlizzPlanet.
• Christian Lichtner and Jason Bender interview with The Escapist.
• Leonard Boyarsky and Dave Adams interview with AusGamers.
• Kevin Martens and Alex Mayberry interview with GameUK.

Blizzcon 2010 Hands-On Reports

PvM Demo Reports:

• Diii.net's mega Quests & Dungeons report.
• Diii.net's mega Barbarian report.
• Diii.net's mega Demon Hunter report.
• Diii.net's mega Monk report.
• Diii.net's mega Witch Doctor report.
• Diii.net's mega Wizard report.

• SlashDot offers a very detailed write up.
• VGChartz with a good first-timer report.
• Gameplanet NZ gives a thorough report.
• Telegraph UK with a short report.
• PC Gamer's hands-on report.
• Ten Ton Hammer briefly covers the Demon Hunter.
• ShackNews with a short report.
• VideoGamer with a brief report.
• Kotaku covers the Demon Hunter quickly.
• 1up.com with a short write-up.
• FileFront's Demon Hunter article is quick and to the point.
• Joystiq writes briefly about the PvM and PvP.
• GameInformer covers the Demon Hunter briefly.
• FearNet offers a first time report.

Battle Arena Reports:

• Diii.net's Arena report covers everything in ridiculous detail.
• Diii.net's quick PvP notes and Arena screenshots.
• ShackNews short PvP discussion.
• Gamespot short PvP discussion.
• Diablo Source short PvP discussion.
• Warcry.com short PvP discussion.
• Kotaku short PvP discussion.
• Warcry's PvP report.

Screenshots and Movies

• The Demon Hunter's debut cinematic.
• Blizzard's official 14 minute gameplay movie. Includes much PvM, Demon Hunter and multiplayer, plus Battle Arena footage.

• Fan-recorded 15 minutes of PvP action.
• Another 15 minutes of PvP, this one with much better play.

• Demon Hunter screenshots. Second batch. Third batch. Other non-DH screenshots.
• Battle Arena screenshots. Second batch from the Press kit.
• New assorted artwork. New monster artwork.

October, Pre-Blizzcon

• Other: October 22, 2010 -- The eve of Blizzcon 2010! The team at diablo.incgamers.com posts coverage and updates for the event, also collected nicely in the section above.

• Blue Post: October 19, 2010 -- Rounding out the final gear set preview before Blizzcon 2010 is the male Barbarian.

• Commentary: October 15, 2010 -- D2 gear sets vs. D3 gear sets spawns a huge debate about how the armor *should* look.

• Blue Post: October 14, 2010 -- Blizzard riles up more fans with a preview of the gear set for the male Wizard, fanning the flames of the previous controversy with the character design. Much criticism and fan remixes ensue. More remixes and even fan art. Finally, a fan vote reveals... a lot of ambivalence, tending towards disapproval.

• Blue Post: October 13, 2010 -- The female Witch Doctor is shown sporting an interesting mask in this gear set preview. A fan remix a few days later creates more debate.

• Commentary: October 13, 2010 -- Diablo III have Pentagrams]? Blizzard has been removing many elements of real world culture and religion from WoW and D3, including crosses and pentagrams. Is this a bad thing?

• Commentary: October 12, 2010 -- Artisan's upgrade pace debated, with dozens of useful reader comments.

• Blue Post: October 8, 2010 -- Bashiok confirms that Act IV will be a finale, like it was in Diablo II, and thus will be the shortest of the acts.

• Blue Post: October 7, 2010 -- Blizzard showcases a gear set for the female Barbarian. Discussion of her face's evolution to a prettier, softer form was debated. Most fans approved of the change, as a vote proves.

• Blue Post: October 7, 2010 -- Bashiok argues at length] against death penalties in Diablo III.

• Picture: October 6, 2010 -- The next of the gear set previews continues with the female Wizard.

• Blue Post: October 6, 2010 -- Bashiok explains why they're happy with the current state of Fury, arrived at after long experimentation.

• Interview: October 1, 2010 -- Diablo creator Dave Brevik interviewed on Diablo I.

September 2010

• Blue Post: September 30, 2010 -- Blizzard ramps up the excitement for Diablo III @ Blizzcon 2010 by posting sneak peaks of character gear sets (note: not the same as item sets) starting with the male Witch Doctor. A later post compares his facial evolution, from concept art to the final game look.

Class-specific weapon confusion.

• Blue Post: September 29, 2010 -- Another Bashiok post on class-specific weapons stirs up the usual confusion and controversy. With a follow-up 2 days later. And a fan vote showing general disapproval of class-specific weapons.

• Interview: September 25, 2010 -- Jay Wilson @ CVG.

• Blue Post: September 21, 2010 -- One of the biggest announcements of the year was made, when Bashiok revealed that Diablo III's maximum level was going to be 60. This change was explained and discussed in numerous posts, on the 21st, more on the 22nd, more end game stuff on the 22nd, achievements on the 23rd, why not more levels just for fun on the 26th, and another discussion on October 13th.
  • A site vote on Diii.net found nearly 50% of readers very supportive of the Clvl 60 change, with just 16% opposing it.

• Blue Post: September 18, 2010 -- Bashiok engages a long debate about respecs and replayability in D2 and D3.

• Blue Post: September 18, 2010 -- Bashiok drops a bombshell and reveals that passive skills are out of the Diablo III skill trees. (Not until Blizzcon were traits explained.)

• Other: September 10, 2010 -- Blizzard updates the Diablo III page with information about the new health system.

• Blue Post: September 9, 2010 -- All characters will have relaxed stances in town; the Monk's aggressive one in a recent video was just a WiP.

• Blue Post: September 8, 2010 -- Bashiok sprinkles some information about new rune effects and Flux relays an "unofficial" conversation with Bashiok regarding the recent skill rune changes.

• Commentary: September 7, 2010 -- Comparing video game graphics to works of art; the more realistic ones are not the most popular or ageless. Hence Blizzard's stylized artistic approach, as exemplified by Diablo III.

• Blue Post: September 4, 2010 -- Haunt grows ghostlier. Bashiok offers another graphical update about a skill we've never really seen.

• Blue Post: September 3, 2010 -- Bashiok on weapon options, dual-wielding vs. two-handed vs. one-handed weapon options.

August 2010

• Other: August 30, 2010 -- Blizzard updates the Diablo III website with a page detailing the new crafting system.

• Interview: August 28, 2010 -- GamesTM magazine interviews Blizzard lore/story/art guy Chris Metzen.

• Blue Post: August 26, 2010 -- Bashiok explains why there's not a "pick up everything" button in Diablo III.

• Blue Post: August 25, 2010 -- Bashiok shares many details about gems and upgrading. He returns with more updates the next day.

• Other: August 24, 2010 -- A Blizzard art show debuts at an art gallery in Taiwan.

• Blue Post: August 24, 2010 -- Bashiok crushes the hopes of fans that ask about retroactive machinima-style class trailers for the Barbarian and Witch Doctor, saying that (while being a nice idea) it would be a poor use of resources.

• Blue Post: August 21, 2010 -- Bashiok adds details to the new info about Armor Dyes, just revealed by Jay Wilson at Gamescom.

• Blue Post: August 21, 2010 -- Bashiok argues that low-res character models on the official site don't matter.

• Blue Post: August 21, 2010 -- Bashiok gives new details about D3's planned Facebook integration.

• Blue Post: August 20, 2010 -- Bashiok confirms no DPS charts will be displayed in Diablo III. Though weapons list their DPS, along with min-max damage.

• Blue Post: August 19, 2010 --Bashiok on improved chat controls and the red target outline.

Gamescom 2010

The Gamescom show in Cologne, Germany ran from August 18-21, and featured a ton of new Diablo III news. Earlier in the month Blizzard had promised to reveal a new Diablo III feature at the show, and they held a press conference as soon as the show began to present the Artisans, as well as the concept of crafting from recipes using materials obtained from the salvage cube. Gamescom 2010 also brought new interviews, screenshots, artwork, and more.

Jay Wilson Interviews

The Blacksmith.

• Jay Wilson speaks with 4players.de from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with in.Diablo.de from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with Diablo3.net.pl from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with Gamona from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with Gamespot.au from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with Tweakers.net from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with PCGames.de from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with G4TV from Gamescom.
• Jay Wilson speaks with Eurogamer from Gamescom.

Artisan Infos

• The Artisan introduction video narrated by Jay Wilson. Also video of his live narration from the show.

• The official Artisan FAQ is released. A week later, a fairly low-info official Crafting page is added to the official site.

• Bashiok answers over a dozen questions about Artisans and their likely effect on the game economy.

• Bashiok with more answers about crafting and salvaging.

• General gaming site coverage of the Artisan presentation. Destructoid, Play.tm, Digital Spy, IncGamers, IGN, GamePlanetNZ, NeoSeeker, G4TV, The Escapist, Gamespot, Mtv, GameBlend, ExoPhase, Joystiq, Device Mag, and God is a Geek.

Hands-On Play Reports

• Judge Hype reports on some play time. (French translation.)
• Another hands-on report. (From an event in Austin, Texas, but it's the same weekend and the same game demo build.)
• Two more lengthy fan hands-on reports.
• A third hands-on report from the event.

Screenshots and Visuals

• The Artisan introduction video narrated by Jay Wilson. Also video of his live narration from the show.

• High quality fan-shot video of a Monk working through the demo.

• A second ninja-video, of much lower quality.

• Six Artisan screenshots feature the Blacksmith.
• Three new combat action screenshots.

• Photos of Blizzard's booth and the Diablo III demo machines from Gamescom.

August, Pre-Gamescom

• Blue Post: August 11, 2010 -- Bashiok provides information about Health Globes and monster nomenclature.

• Blue Post: August 10, 2010 -- Bashiok on adjusting the difficulty curve through hell and into the end game.

• Blue Post: August 6, 2010 -- Changes to resource systems for the Barbarian and Wizard are commented on by Bashiok. Balls of Fury get tossed out and we say goodbye to Instability.

• Blue Post: August 4, 2010 -- Bashiok shoots down a "4th difficulty" suggestion and says they've got bigger and better ideas to spice up the end game.

• Blue Post: August 4, 2010 -- Bashiok confirms a new skill for the Witch Doctor called Poison Dart.

July 2010

• Blue Post: July 30, 2010 -- A community poll finds that most fans would want their name used for an item in the game, though "No to using fan names in games." comes in a very strong second. (A handful of of prominent Diablo 2 fansite people had their online handles used for Mercenary Names in Diablo 2, setting precedent.)

Diablo as an SC2 Easter Egg.

• Blue Post: July 28, 2010 -- The best Starcraft 2 Easter Egg is found; a burning Diablo on one of the single player mission levels. A Deckard Cain Easter Egg is found the next day.

• Other: July 27, 2010 -- StarCraft 2's launch day blows up.

• Other: July 26, 2010 -- Ordering information for the streaming feed from BlizzCon 2010 is posted.

• Blue Post: July 26, 2010 -- Bashiok provides a teasing photo of the Diablo "monster wall." Much fan analysis ensues.

• Blue Post: July 24, 2010 -- Bashiok discusses character appearance change, and why skills can't change it entirely.

• Blue Post: July 24, 2010 -- Blizzard tweets about melee weapon types, and turns it into a fifth character tease.

• Blue Post: July 23, 2010 -- Blizzard announces that they will attend the GamesCom show in Cologne, Germany, August 22-23. It takes several more weeks of Bashiok teasing before it's confirmed that Diablo 3 will be one of the playable titles.

• Blue Post: July 23, 2010 -- The D3 Team debates "staffs" vs. "staves" for the plural of staff. Most fans clearly prefer "staves," judging by the comments.

• Blue Post: July 22, 2010 -- Blizzard tweets a tease about glowing dungeon entrances/exits. Bashiok elaborates in a forum follow-up a few days later.

• Blue Post: July 22, 2010 -- The Starcraft 2 Diablo-themed Easter Eggs continue, with a burning Terran Marine.

• Other: July 20, 2010 -- An interview with Diablo 2 soundtrack composer Matt Uelmen confirms a "recording of the Diablo 3 soundtrack" rumor from five years before.

• Blue Post: July 18, 2010 -- Diablo decals are found for StarCraft 2 over B.net, the first Diablo-related Easter Egg in SC2. (But not the last.)

• Blue Post: July 17, 2010 -- Blizzard teases that the Witch Doctor's armor will vary more than expected.

• Blue Post: July 16, 2010 -- Blizzard announces their new/updated plans for Real ID on Battle.net, with the wildly-unpopular mandatory "post with your real name" features removed.

• Interview: July 16, 2010 -- Matt Uelmen interview with GamaSutra covers his time working on the music of D1, D2, and WoW.

• Blue Post: July 14, 2010 -- A shared stash is still planned for Diablo 3, but has not been implemented into the game yet.

• Other: July 14, 2010 -- Fans vote the Witch Doctor their least anticipated Diablo 3 character.

• Blue Post: July 12, 2010 -- Blizzard debates demon anatomy and loin cloth-wearing.

• Blue Post: July 9, 2010 -- @Diablo teases that Wizard spell Disintegrate has very odd effects with Runestones.

• Other: July 8, 2010 -- The Diablo 2 Tenth Anniversary Community Mosaic Project kicks off. Official page here: Diablo 2010 Anniversary Mosaic.

• Blue Post: July 7, 2010 -- An @Diablo tweet about a "memorable" returning D2 monster sets off a deluge of speculation.

Penny Arcade weighs in on Real ID.

• Blue Post: July 7, 2010 -- The Real ID B.net forum debacle begins with the official announcement and much angry user feedback, over two very busy days.

1. Dozens and dozens of opinion pieces ensue, along with Blizzard explanations.
2. A community vote reveals overwhelming opposition.
3. Rumors of intense internal opposition surface.
4. Penny Arcade weighs in.
5. The EFF voices their opposition.
6. And Blizzard quickly buckles under the combined weight of the criticism and rescinds the real names on the forums requirement.

• Blue Post: July 6, 2010 -- The most epic Barbarian armor completed? A few days later, Bashiok explains that "epic armor" refers to the appearance being the coolest of all armor options, not necessarily the best statistically.

• Blue Post: July 4, 2010 -- Recent tweets on the 4 player max for co-op, and animal-themed armors. Follow-ups explain the 4 player max and explain that the animal themes are cosmetic.

• Blue Post: July 2, 2010 -- Bashiok confirms that Mercs are still in the game, and that skill runes still do cool things.

• Blue Post: July 1, 2010 -- Bashiok takes back all of his June comments about max skill caps, and teases a "99 vs. 100" max level debate.

See the 2010 Archive for the first six months of 2010.

Older News

Earlier headlines and articles are archived on the Media Coverage Archive pages:

• Media Coverage: 2008
• Media Coverage: 2009
• Media Coverage: 2010