Diablo III Delayed Until Early 2012

"While this news might not be a complete surprise, I know that many of you were hopeful that Diablo III would ship this year. We were too. However, this week we pulled together people from all of the teams involved with the game to decide whether we felt it would be ready before the end of December, and we grudgingly came to the conclusion that it would not. Ultimately, we feel that to deliver an awesome Diablo sequel that lives up to our expectations and yours as well, we should take a little more time and add further polish to a few different elements of the game."

Remember this is Blizzard were talking about, whose motto is "it's done when it's done." Personally I am not shocked at all and waiting this long to play such a highly anticipated sequel makes a few more months seem like a drop in the bucket. I respect Blizzard's decision to hold off and make sure that they deliver more quality in their game. It's what sets them apart from other developers.

On the plus side, Morhaime said they would extend the beta test and invite more people than originally planned.

"The upside of today’s announcement is that we will be running the beta test longer than we initially planned, which will allow us to invite more of you who have opted in."

So if you haven't opted in yet, NOW IS THE TIME! Also if you're part of the Diableard contest, Morhaime says it's okay to trim up!

"For those taking on the Diableard Challenge, we salute you -- and now fear for your well-being and personal hygiene. We hereby issue an official reprieve to all Diableard participants, including Blizzard employees, if you want to trim or otherwise manage the lower half of your face."

Keep an eye on your inbox for those that opted-in email. It looks like our chances to get in are looking up.