Diablo III – No Open Beta plans, pre-release demo uncertain, trial edition available post-launch


We bet that all Diablo fans are still celebrating about the game’s release date announcement. Diablo III is almost here and you will be able to enjoy it in about two months. What was that? You wondered whether or not there would be an open beta phase so you could give it a shot before release? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is not the one you’ve been hoping to. Diablo III won’t get an open beta phase.
That was also confirmed by Blizzard’s Community Manager, Bashiok. When asked about it, Bashiok said that there won’t be an open beta test for it:
“@gregorygoyvaert No plans for an open beta.”
All hope is not lost though, as Bashiok had previously stated that a demo would be made available before the game’s release. Now we all know that Blizzard is constantly changing their opinion, so they could easily ‘forget’ those promises and abandon those plans. What we do know is that Blizzard will offer a trial edition after the game’s release that will be similar to the one of WoW and SC2. This trial version will be better than a demo because it’s essentially the full game just with locks put on certain areas.
We’ve contacted Blizzard and await news about the pre-launch demo. Stay tuned for more!