LONDON, Sept. 7, 1997 — At the European Computer Trade Show, Blizzard Entertainment announced Diablo 2, the sequel to this year’s number-one selling Diablo. The title is currently slated for a late 1998 release.
In Diablo II, players return to a dark world plagued by evil forces. As one of five heroes, players must undertake a new series of quests to rid the world of Diablo and his vile brethren forever. New features in the game will include:
Five all-new character classes with unique attributes and abilities.
Four different, fully populated towns complete with wilderness areas.
Multiple dungeons, caverns and crypts in every town for players to explore.
Expanded world filled with all-new quests, weapons, spells, armor, monsters and non-playing characters.
Advanced combat system which incorporates class-specific fighting techniques and spells.
New Battle.net options including increased multiplayer support, an on-line trading post and worldwide rankings.
Diablo, a real-time role-playing game, was an instant hit among gamers and debuted as the number-one selling game its first month in stores. Since releasing in January, the game has sold nearly one million copies worldwide and remains the best-selling game this year.
“The decision to develop a sequel was easy for us, because we want to create Diablo II as much as our customers want to play it,” said Allen Adham, president and founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “With the sequel, we will push the game’s concept and design in new directions, while maintaining the same level of excitement and addiction that made the original a favorite among gamers.”
Best known for the number-one selling Warcraft series and the blockbuster hit Diablo, Blizzard Entertainment is a premier publisher of entertainment software, and a division of CUC Software, subsidiary of CUC International Inc. (NYSE: CU).