Diablo 3 is breaking records as blizzard today announced that their highly-anticipated action RPG sold more than 3.5 million copies as of the first 24 hours of release, making it the fastest-selling PC game ever.
That number does not include the 1.2 million players who received Diablo 3 as part of signing up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion that included a free copy of Diablo 3 for a year-long subscription to Blizzard's MMORPG.
More than 4.7 million gamers around the world participated in Diablo 3's release – representing the biggest PC-game launch in history. As of the first week of launch, that number has already grown to more than 6.3 million not including players in Korean Internet game rooms where Diablo 3 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 3 and jump in the moment it went live," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder 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 3 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 3 has lived up to players' high expectations, and we're looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead."
Diablo 3 went live on May 15 although it did suffer some setbacks early on with the game servers. Since the game's launch things have been much smoother save for a few reports of hacking and missing achievements. And while reception of the game by critics has been warm, fans are still hesitant with many of the changes seen in Diablo 3 – primarily with the skill/rune system. Despite the mixed emotions, Diablo 3 has performed well for retailers.
Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop, said, "Diablo 3 was one of our biggest PC launches ever and will help make this a record year for Blizzard at GameStop."
Likewise, Diablo 3 also broke records for online retail giant Amazon.com.
"Not only did Diablo 3 break the record for most preordered PC game of all-time on Amazon.com, but it also shattered the record for best day-one sales for any PC game ever on Amazon.com,' John Love, director of video games at Amazon.com added.
Diablo 3 is the latest installment in Blizzard's critically acclaimed action role-playing series. It 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.
