Regardless of release date, I feel confident the beta will start when the say it will. If they feel that it will be ready for public beta in 2-5 months, it probably will be because that's a pretty short time frame.
CherubDown has a good point, the closer they are to the 'target' the easier it is to hit, after all they set the target for themselves. If they said 'We're hoping for beta next summer' it'd feel much more tenuous to me. This is why if they go into beta on schedule and say at BlizzCon they still think 2011 for release is feasible we should be pretty confident in that, they wouldn't be overly optimistic in such short timeframes.
Having started with Diablo I over a decade ago, I have waited just as long as most people in here, and understand the frustration. However, I'm getting a little annoyed at the naysayers to this announcement. I know just as well as all of you that Blizzard makes its own timetables for things like this, but this, in my mind, is a pretty positive, tangible thing to put our hands and minds on for a change.
I fully believe there will be external testing starting sometime in July, and that we will, in all probability, see this game around Christmas time.
I'm excited because even if the beta is a few months off, they want to release all the systems and mechanics before that. So that means we'll know all about the beta before it's actually being played by the public.
Don't forget, Blizcon is late this year. That means they could miss their "target" by only a month, have a 6-month beta exactly like Jay guessed, spend a month in absolute final localization/QA/marketing, and be out somewhere in that window.
Let's review:
- it's never a bad idea to wait a few more months to cannibalize WoW
- it's also never a bad idea to polish a little more
- bunching up 3 Bliz releases in 2012 = $$$$$
- no one wants a boring blizcon
And for those thinking that the polishing and beta phases should be shorter, let me remind you:
- this title is the foundation for a remade IP
- no one on that team has any experience doing random dungeons
- this is the first true 3-D AAA ARPG ever
- there are literally millions of skill/rune combinations
- the arena function promises to be the best feature yet has had no real design attention
Snared nailed it in my opinion. I think the final stretch is finally in view and I think it's time to take the risk of getting excited & investing in the idea of the timetable Blizz has put forth. Yeah, maybe we'll get burned again, but I'd rather get my hopes up and really enjoy the momentum of the next few months and deal with the frustration later than sit around and humbug every time Blizz even hints that a 2011 release is coming. As of (literally) this afternoon, Blizzard doesn't anticipate having to move the date into 2012, and we shouldn't either. History be damned, this is a new Blizzard & a new Diablo. They didn't disappoint with SC2's timetable, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here.
Snared nailed it in my opinion. I think the final stretch is finally in view and I think it's time to take the risk of getting excited & investing in the idea of the timetable Blizz has put forth. Yeah, maybe we'll get burned again, but I'd rather get my hopes up and really enjoy the momentum of the next few months and deal with the frustration later than sit around and humbug every time Blizz even hints that a 2011 release is coming. As of (literally) this afternoon, Blizzard doesn't anticipate having to move the date into 2012, and we shouldn't either. History be damned, this is a new Blizzard & a new Diablo. They didn't disappoint with SC2's timetable, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here.
Exactly, thank you. This was pretty much deja vu for the Q1 call last year concerning Starcraft 2. He said it was coming at within the next 1-2 months of that call, it did, and about six months later we had Starcraft 2. Now here comes along the EXACT same message, and half of you in here are almost wishing that it gets pushed back to 2012.
The man said "we are still shooting for 2011". Optimism is fun, or so I hear.
And on top of that, I might add that, with the exception of the "we're shooting for release this year" from a quote earlier this year, there has never been a tangible date named for ANYTHING concerning Diablo III, period. So when they start throwing around actual dates, I find they're pretty much ready to go.
I'm going to go with (what seems to be) the majority here and say this is positive news. However, I feel that if they haven't started releasing info on systems/mechanics by the end of this month I will start to get worried. The way I see it these will all have to slot into the game nicely and work quite well for the timeframes to be kept. If 1/some of the systems are found to not work properly or effectively this is what will cause delays.
Of course, the naysayers will keep naysaying and then be all 'like I told you so' if it does get delayed...
Hi! New guy here posting just because I've been lurking at this site for awhile checking up on d3 news BUT down to business
There is some conflicting information. An official post from (I would guess) Bashiok stating that they are aiming for a 2011 release, and this conference call where there are several people who have reported bliz saying "No games expected to be released this year"
Can we get confirmation on that quote? I haven't listened to the call.
Also, while a beta doesn't necessarily have to be 6 months, Q3 could be September, and it's still just a target. So here's what could happen:
Target Q3 met and expectations of blizzard exceeded - July 1 beta, possibly Xmas release.
-HIGHLY Unlikely that blizzard will ever meet our expectations of timetables.
Target Q3 met, typical bliz timeline - August/September beta, Q1 2012 release.
-Most likely scenario if all goes well, in my humble opinion.
Target Q3 not met, uber blizzard timeline - October/November beta, Q2 2012 release.
-Most likely scenario if something goes horribly wrong.
Now, I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that 2011 target is an older quote, and if they said no games releasing this year in the conference call, that would confirm my suspicions of a 2012 (or, gasp, dare I say it... later) release.
There is some conflicting information. An official post from (I would guess) Bashiok stating that they are aiming for a 2011 release, and this conference call where there are several people who have reported bliz saying "No games expected to be released this year"
Can we get confirmation on that quote? I haven't listened to the call.
Now, I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that 2011 target is an older quote, and if they said no games releasing this year in the conference call, that would confirm my suspicions of a 2012 (or, gasp, dare I say it... later) release.
They said in this call that they are still pushing for a 2011 release. The quote about no games in 2011 is also valid because they are not guaranteeing this release date. For a financial call, which this was, they need definite release dates. Therefore, as of right now, there are no games being released in 2011. However, Blizzard is still trying to get the game out by the end of the year.
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There is some conflicting information. An official post from (I would guess) Bashiok stating that they are aiming for a 2011 release, and this conference call where there are several people who have reported bliz saying "No games expected to be released this year"
Can we get confirmation on that quote? I haven't listened to the call.
Now, I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that 2011 target is an older quote, and if they said no games releasing this year in the conference call, that would confirm my suspicions of a 2012 (or, gasp, dare I say it... later) release.
They said in this call that they are still pushing for a 2011 release. The quote about no games in 2011 is also valid because they are not guaranteeing this release date. For a financial call, which this was, they need definite release dates. Therefore, as of right now, there are no games being released in 2011. However, Blizzard is still trying to get the game out by the end of the year.
Ah, that does make sense I guess. Thanks for clearing that up
There is some conflicting information. An official post from (I would guess) Bashiok stating that they are aiming for a 2011 release, and this conference call where there are several people who have reported bliz saying "No games expected to be released this year"
Can we get confirmation on that quote? I haven't listened to the call.
What was said during the call was that, basically, D3's release is dependent on how long the beta has to be to get rid of all the bugs/balance issues. So their working towards a 2011 release, but they expect it to take until 2012 because of potential issues that arise during the beta. Its just like at the last conference call, where they stated that the official expectation is that the game won't be ready until 2012, but they are doing what they can to get it out in 2011.
The good news is that probably means that if the release has to get bumped to 2012, it will be early on in the year.
So does this mean that anyone who participates in the Diablo demo at Blizzcon 2011 will inevitably be contributing to beta testing? I recall they allowed players to provide feedback at the end of the demo based on their play experience. It would be a great opportunity for them to give the beta cycle a little boost, assuming the demo is something resembling the beta product.
I fully believe there will be external testing starting sometime in July, and that we will, in all probability, see this game around Christmas time.
Don't forget, Blizcon is late this year. That means they could miss their "target" by only a month, have a 6-month beta exactly like Jay guessed, spend a month in absolute final localization/QA/marketing, and be out somewhere in that window.
Let's review:
- it's never a bad idea to wait a few more months to cannibalize WoW
- it's also never a bad idea to polish a little more
- bunching up 3 Bliz releases in 2012 = $$$$$
- no one wants a boring blizcon
And for those thinking that the polishing and beta phases should be shorter, let me remind you:
- this title is the foundation for a remade IP
- no one on that team has any experience doing random dungeons
- this is the first true 3-D AAA ARPG ever
- there are literally millions of skill/rune combinations
- the arena function promises to be the best feature yet has had no real design attention
Official Blizzard Quote:
We are still pushing for a 2011 release
nuff said
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the News team
Exactly, thank you. This was pretty much deja vu for the Q1 call last year concerning Starcraft 2. He said it was coming at within the next 1-2 months of that call, it did, and about six months later we had Starcraft 2. Now here comes along the EXACT same message, and half of you in here are almost wishing that it gets pushed back to 2012.
The man said "we are still shooting for 2011". Optimism is fun, or so I hear.
I'm going to go with (what seems to be) the majority here and say this is positive news. However, I feel that if they haven't started releasing info on systems/mechanics by the end of this month I will start to get worried. The way I see it these will all have to slot into the game nicely and work quite well for the timeframes to be kept. If 1/some of the systems are found to not work properly or effectively this is what will cause delays.
Of course, the naysayers will keep naysaying and then be all 'like I told you so' if it does get delayed...
Hi! New guy here posting just because I've been lurking at this site for awhile checking up on d3 news BUT down to business
There is some conflicting information. An official post from (I would guess) Bashiok stating that they are aiming for a 2011 release, and this conference call where there are several people who have reported bliz saying "No games expected to be released this year"
Can we get confirmation on that quote? I haven't listened to the call.
Also, while a beta doesn't necessarily have to be 6 months, Q3 could be September, and it's still just a target. So here's what could happen:
Target Q3 met and expectations of blizzard exceeded - July 1 beta, possibly Xmas release.
-HIGHLY Unlikely that blizzard will ever meet our expectations of timetables.
Target Q3 met, typical bliz timeline - August/September beta, Q1 2012 release.
-Most likely scenario if all goes well, in my humble opinion.
Target Q3 not met, uber blizzard timeline - October/November beta, Q2 2012 release.
-Most likely scenario if something goes horribly wrong.
Now, I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that 2011 target is an older quote, and if they said no games releasing this year in the conference call, that would confirm my suspicions of a 2012 (or, gasp, dare I say it... later) release.
They said in this call that they are still pushing for a 2011 release. The quote about no games in 2011 is also valid because they are not guaranteeing this release date. For a financial call, which this was, they need definite release dates. Therefore, as of right now, there are no games being released in 2011. However, Blizzard is still trying to get the game out by the end of the year.
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the News team
http://sc.gibybo.com/blizzdates.php
edit: cherubdown you just killed a kitten
The good news is that probably means that if the release has to get bumped to 2012, it will be early on in the year.
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the news team.
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