PAX East 2013: Blizzplanet Diablo III PS3 Coverage

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Blizzard Entertainment’s epic action-RPG Diablo® III is moving the eternal war between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells to a new battleground—PlayStation®3! Armed with a controller and a custom-designed interface tailored for consoles, players will step into the role of one of five powerful character classes—barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, or demon hunter—and embark on a dark journey to save the world of Sanctuary from ancient demonic forces. As these heroes adventure from the humble town of New Tristram all the way to the Diamond Gates of the High Heavens, they’ll engage in pulse-pounding combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, grow in experience and ability, and acquire items of incredible power.

Blizzard Entertainment originally released Diablo III for Windows® and Macintosh® PC on May 15, 2012. Within 24 hours it had become the fastest-selling PC game of all time, and as of December 31, 2012, Diablo III had sold through more than 12 million copies worldwide.

GAME FEATURES

• Five powerful character classes to choose from: barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, and demon hunter

• Direct character control and console-focused changes to character abilities and combat mechanics thrust PS3™ gamers into the action

• Four-player online co-op and four-player local co-op for seamless cooperative play

• Four different difficulty modes—Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno—that progressively increase the challenge and reward players with more powerful armor, weapons, and abilities

• Hardcore mode for players who seek the thrill of constant peril that comes with the possibility of permanent death for their character

• Completely reimagined interface and new dynamic camera designed specifically for console play

• Interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and destructible elements

• Randomized settings, events, and loot deliver endless, dynamic gameplay

• A wide variety of fiendish monsters, with unique attack patterns and behaviors redesigned for console

• Features like the Paragon system, Monster Power, Infernal Machine and Brawling add substantial replayability

• Connect with friends, send game invitations, and access voice chat through the PlayStation® Network

THE LORD OF TERROR TO UNLEASH THE FIRES OF THE BURNING HELLS ON PLAYSTATION® GAMERS WORLDWIDE

Blizzard Entertainment announces Diablo® III for PS3™, confirms franchise coming to PS4™

World-first hands-on set for PAX East, March 22–24

IRVINE, Calif.—February 20, 2013—The fate of Sanctuary will soon rest in the hands of PlayStation gamers around the world. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it is developing Diablo® III, the latest entry in its award-winning action–role-playing-game series, for the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The company also today confirmed plans to adapt the game for Sony’s newly announced PlayStation®4, its next-generation computer entertainment system.

The PS3™/PS4™ version of Diablo III will be based on the critically acclaimed core experience of the PC version, including all of the latest upgrades, such as the Paragon leveling system, customizable Monster Power, Brawling, and epic Legendary items. In addition, Blizzard is designing an all-new user interface, including an intuitive control scheme and a new dynamic camera perspective, that will make questing and combat in the world of Sanctuary feel like second nature on PlayStation platforms. Players will be able to battle their way through the story in single-player mode and also experience the hack-and-slash joy of destroying demons and collecting loot together with their friends via seamless four-player online and local co-op modes.

Blizzard also announced today that the PS3 version of Diablo III will be shown live at PAX East, taking place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from March 22–24. Attendees there will be the first in the world to pick up a controller and experience the fast-paced action and visceral gameplay of Diablo III via the new custom-designed interface.

“Diablo III looks and plays great on the PlayStation,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We put a lot of care and thought into the PlayStation version to make sure it would deliver an authentic Diablo gaming experience, and we’re really pleased with the results. We can’t wait for players to try it out at PAX East.”

Diablo III 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 along the way. Diablo III was originally released for Windows® and Macintosh® PC on May 15, 2012 and within 24 hours became the fastest-selling PC game of all time. As of December 31, 2012, Diablo III had sold through more than 12 million copies worldwide.*

To learn more about Diablo III, please visit the official website at https://www.diablo3.com. Further details about Blizzard’s plans for the PlayStation versions of the game will be announced on the site as development progresses. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available—visit https://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.

* According to The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track, and internal company estimates.