"AND THE HEAVENS SHALL TREMBLE"Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.
When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram's Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells – and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.
Diablo III Cinematic Teaser
Diablo III Gameplay
Diablo III is an action role-playing game in a similar style to its predecessor, Diablo II. While retaining many of the gameplay elements of the original, Diablo III will have a focus on cooperative or team based play. The proprietary engine will incorporate Havok physics and feature destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers are aiming to make the game run on a wide range of systems, and have stated that DirectX 10 will not be required. The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms, with no current plans for release on video game consoles.
The game takes place in "Sanctuary", the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo and Diablo II. Warriors that survived the onslaught of the armies of the Burning Hells have gone mad from their ordeals, and it is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary. Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.
Deckard Cain's journal on the official site brings players up to speed on the events of the first two games.
Development on Diablo III began about three years ago when Blizzard North was still in operation. The original artistic design differed from that shown at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 demonstration, and had undergone three revisions before reaching the standards felt necessary by the team behind Diablo III. The development teams comprise fifty people. Most of the game mechanics and physics are complete and undergoing minor revisions. Most of the current and remaining development will focus on adding game content.
