Diablo3.com acquired by Blizzard
by Mike Schramm 
May 1st 2008 at 11:30AM
A few weeks ago, we posted about a countdown on the site that was going towards May 1st, and if you check your calendars, you can see that the day has come, and Diablo3.com is now redirecting to Diablofans.com. There is a post on the site saying that Blizzard contacted the site a few months ago to pick up the domain name, and while the owner (who also runs I-Mockery) wanted it to stay a fan site, he couldn't help but sell to Blizzard. We had speculated that it would mean an official takeover, and while it hasn't actually happened yet (right now the redirect is in place, and we're not sure how long that'll be the case), it looks like we were right.The obvious conclusion here, of course, is that Blizzard is ramping up for a Diablo 3 announcement -- no doubt sweet, sweet candy to the ears of Blizzard fans everywhere. And that's not a huge assumption -- it's been rumored for a while, and what other reason would Blizzard have to start marking their territory? Of course, as the owners of the Diablo trademarks, Blizzard could probably have claimed the domain any time, though from the post on the new site,
At any rate, if you're going to be optimistic about there being a Diablo 3, the new date to mark on your calendars is Saturday, June 28th -- that's the date that the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational starts in Paris. Last year, they used the event to announce Starcraft 2, so who knows -- maybe this year we'll see Deckard Cain in a cinematic saying, "It's about time."
Update: Actually, the I-Mockery guys said they gave it to Blizzard for free, just because they were Blizzard fans, which is kind of cool. Also, the redirect will apparently last until June 1st, at which point, Blizzard will take over Diablo3.com. Our guess is that then it'll redirect to Blizzard.com (see diablo.com), at least until an announcement is made.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items, Rumors
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
glorft May 1st 2008 11:47AM
Thats cool and all, but what more could they possibly do? I mean, didn't they kill off Diablo, Bael, and Mephisto? And as far as game mechanics are concerned, I'm not sure how they could keep it from being another WoW. And lets face it, WoW is just a bigger Diablo 2 :P
Mike May 1st 2008 12:24PM
I think in current diablo lore there's still 2 lesser evils that haven't been encountered yet- Belial and Azmodan, lord of lies and lord of sins. So there's two act bosses right there.
In the end I'm okay with killing diablo again. I mean, in the last game we destroyed the worldstone, so that probably brought all the bad guys back to life or something.
Frostwolf May 1st 2008 12:39PM
Surprisingly I know alot of WoW players who loved the diablo series, im not even sure if you have to make it as epic as WoW in terms of gameplay and lengthy lvling/gearing up.
Frankly if they made diablo 3 as an updated dungeon crawler with modern day graphics of while keeping their old aesthetics and feel of the original 2 Im dropping 60 bucks and several hundred hours easy (and WoW for a few months).
Algorithm May 1st 2008 12:49PM
What does it say that you're all considering Blizzard's biggest competition as their other games?
Sargeron May 1st 2008 1:02PM
Also remember that Belial and Azmodan (with the help of andariel and duriel of course) were able to banish Diablo and his brothers to the mortal realm, they weren't pushovers by any means and I think it's quite likely that they'll end up being the villains of Diablo III
Daniel Whitcomb May 1st 2008 2:42PM
Lore-wise, you should also remember that even Tyrael was not 100% sure how destroying the Worldstone would affect Heaven, Earth, and Hell. That could have conceivably caused a lot of Mayhem for your character to deal with in Diablo 3.
Cetha May 1st 2008 6:26PM
i'm with you, i only started to play WoW because it looked like D2...apart from lore it's practically the same game mechanics and as we saw with the whole gem/sockets thing with TBC, blizz just borrowed more from itself for an expansion.
Maybe the big draw would be that I could play D3 anywhere and not need to be online like I do with WoW...oh and the ability to play the game alone and not have to round up other people to get done will be nice too i suppose
Mcrandy May 6th 2008 12:11AM
WOW is not anything like Diablo 2 and as a big Diablo 2 addicted person I take offense at that type of statement
Fortine May 1st 2008 11:47AM
I have to say, I've been waiting for this for a long time and WoW would have to take a backseat if/when this releases.
Krusher13 May 1st 2008 11:48AM
A Staff Member replied to the article on Diablofans.com and said that they gave the domain to Blizzard. So it does not look like they paid anything for it.
nobbie May 1st 2008 11:53AM
Yup, they gave it away for free, being avid fans *thumbs up!*
Jayus May 1st 2008 11:59AM
The three steps to taking something that is yours back.
1) Ask nicely.
2) Offer a reasonable amount for it
3) Take it by force.
A smart company will try 1 and 2 before going with 3, 3 might seem like the best way, hey it belongs to you anyway and you have all rights to it, why not? Well it costs more to fix your public image after word gets out of you acting like a jackass and smacking around smaller companies then it does to be nice and offer a small amount of chump change.
Medievaldragon May 1st 2008 12:27PM
Hi, guys. Medievaldragon from Diablo3.com and Blizzplanet.
Mockery did not sell the domain name. Mockery donated it to Blizzard at no cost. All Gaming sites are posting incorrect info. I posted the second post below Mockery's saying it was a free transfer. Another tidbit of info, the domain name will point to Diablofans until June. After June 1, Blizzard takes control of the domain name. This extra month was a flexible concession by Blizzard to allow a smooth transition for fans to catch up with the new domain name: Diablofans, before the domain name points to Blizzard.com
Apologies to anyone who feels sore for the two weeks countdown. However, the true countdown begins ... toward Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals (June 28-29). If you waited two weeks, you can wait the 58 days countdown.
Rational May 1st 2008 12:47PM
Wow, that actually is a pretty big announcement. This is a pretty palpable sign that Blizzard does not intend to let the Diablo property languish in perpetuity.
So maybe I'm wrong about their "mystery project" and it actually is a Diablo thingy and not a Starcraft MMO.
darian May 1st 2008 1:23PM
Blizzard please! Don't do it! My future as of yet to be met wife and as of yet unborn children plead with you! My life as I know it will be over!
Joking aside, I have no idea how I'll be able to balance WoW and D3, but I suppose that depends on what D3 is.
Lorewise, the destruction of the World Stone could have any number of consequences. Even Tyrael didn't know what would happen, especially because Baal's taint was all over the thing.
I hardly expect Diablo 3 to be lacking Diablo. While it's hard for us to conceive of now, there'll be a reasonable explanation for his return.
Charlie May 1st 2008 1:48PM
Ohh ohh, I got an idea. How about his brother who goes by the same name escapes from their home world before it gets taken over, then they land on our world in something that looks like a carrier.
Erm...
Orestes May 1st 2008 2:08PM
...or the Diablo you killed wasn't actually Diablo, just a construct. Where's the real Diablo? Simple, he's been beside you the entire time through D2 disguised as Cain, inwardly giggling as you kill his competition for him.
Naix May 1st 2008 1:59PM
With the announcement of Diablo3 I can't help but wonder what game I should play. The knee jerk reaction is to say "Hay I still have plenty of game to play in WOW." But then Diablo 3 is a new game with all new content. Maybe after I get my new Druid to 70 I can relax some.
Maerlyn May 1st 2008 2:47PM
Let's also remember this is Blizzard, they tend to take quite a while to produce a game and get it out, we'll be at least 1-2 expansions deeper in WoW and probably have an announcement for WoW 2 before this game hits shelves.
Todd May 1st 2008 2:54PM
"...he couldn't help but sell to Blizzard."
I find that hard to believe that the domain was given away for free. I wonder if the words "lawyer," "legal," and/or "copyright infringement" were mentioned.