Don't shoot the messenger! "While this news might not be a complete surprise, I know that many of you were hopeful that Diablo III would ship this year," writes Blizzard president Mike Morhaime. Unfortunately a 2011 release isn't happening, so you'll be stuck with Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3 until at least Q1 of 2012. Ok, so it's not that bad.

"Ultimately, we feel that to deliver an awesome Diablo sequel that lives up to our expectations and yours as well," Morhaime said, "we should take a little more time and add further polish to a few different elements of the game." With the news of the delay comes the news that Diablo 3's beta will run longer and accomodate more invitees, at least.

"The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we're taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers."

[Battle.net]