The Success of Diablo III

Written by Erik Kubik, kube00 Sunday, 20 May 2012 06:00

Gamers and fans of Blizzard have waited a long time for Diablo III to come out. After 12 years of waiting and Blizzard’s rocky launch of the online services for the game, it was well worth it. When the game works it's like a drug. Gamers everywhere cannot put it down, and the question is why?

I don't know why I want to play Diablo III so much over other games. I've set aside Mass Effect 3, game I desperately want to get through since I enjoyed Mass Effect 2 so much. The Game of Thrones game and Battlefield 3 have also been returned to the shelf.  I have to say that I’m hooked on Diablo III.

When Diablo III’s release date was announced, gamers everywhere flocked to pre-order. Gamezone.com mentioned that Diablo III is Amazon’s most pre-ordered PC game ever.  Gamenguide reports from VGChartz, that Diablo III dominated the rankings with nearly 824,000 pre-order players. Whereas one of the other big May games -- Max Payne 3 -- raked in around 180,000 pre orders for consoles. I would say this might be one of Blizzard’s most successful launches despite some hiccups.

Speaking of PC gamers, I know for a fact several of my close gamer friends as well as many others upgraded their gaming rigs just to play D3. Some of us who were strictly console gamers may have crossed over. I built a new PC last fall that will play the game on high settings. Although Blizzard has made sure the game will run on lower end machines as an attempt to make Diablo III accessible for everyone. Minimum specs are Intel Pentium D 2.8 Ghz, 1 GB Ram, and either a GeForce 7800 GT or a Radeon X1950 Pro, my limited understanding of PC gaming is that those components are several years old. Perfect for someone who doesn't own the most modern PC.

Gamers everywhere are hooked on playing Diablo III. Some of them right now are dreaming about playing it while at work. It could be the simply party up interface and friends’ list. The ease of grouping and running quests. There are achievements to keep the competitive spirit alive. The fast paced action RPG keeps gamers wanting more. There are guest passes to give to your friends to get them to play the game with you. Blizzard is offering annual subscription holders of WoW free copies of Diablo III.  

I’m suddenly feeling the urge to play some more Diablo III. Sorry PS3 and Wii, both of you will have to take to the backseat until I finish Diablo III.