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Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that as of the first 24 hours of Diablo III's release, more than 3.5 million copies had been sold, setting the new all-time record for fastest-selling PC game. That number does not include the more than 1.2 million players who received Diablo III as part of signing up for the "World of Warcraft Annual Pass" promotion. Altogether, more than 4.7 million gamers around the world were poised to storm Sanctuary on day 1 of Diablo III's release -- representing the biggest PC-game launch in history.
As of the first week of the game’s availability, that number had already grown to more than 6.3 million. The above figures also do not include players in Korean Internet game rooms, where Diablo III has become the top-played game, achieving a record share of more than 39% as of May 22.
"We're definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of 'Diablo III' and jump in the moment it went live," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of 'Diablo III' players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support."
"Regarding today's announcement, we recognize that setting a new launch record is a big achievement," Morhaime continued. "However, we're especially proud of the gameplay feedback we've received from players worldwide. We're pleased that 'Diablo III' has lived up to players' high expectations, and we're looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead."
Diablo III went live on May 15, with more than 8,000 retailers throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau opening their doors to players at midnight or concurrently with the local release time in celebration of the launch. In addition to being able to buy the game at retail stores, gamers in the regions above as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil are also able to purchase Diablo III digitally via the official site.
Diablo III is available for Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 and Macintosh® at a suggested price of $59.99 USD for both the retail DVD-ROM version and the digital version sold directly from Blizzard. The game has received a Mature rating from the ESRB.
Diablo III is the latest chapter in Blizzard's critically acclaimed action–role-playing-game series. The game 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 in other ways.
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