Originally targeted for a year-end release, Blizzard announced today that it has moved Diablo III to “early 2012.” Given the company’s unwavering commitment to polish, this may come as little surprise.

“With every game we make, the temptation is always very strong to launch as soon as possible. However, we didn’t put so many years of work into Diablo III to release a game that was almost ready,” said Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime.

“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.”

If there’s any consolation, Blizzard says it will use the additional time to extend the ongoing beta test — which kicked off this week, possibly opening the gates for more testers. For potential inclusion, make sure you have chosen to opt-in via your Battle.net profile.

Look forward to our impressions on the beta very soon.

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