IRVINE, Calif. – July. 26, 2001 – Blizzard Entertainment® announced today that Diablo® II: Lord of Destruction™ has surpassed 1 million units sold worldwide, according to NPD INTELECT* and key retail accounts from around the world. Over two million units of the game have been shipped to retail to satisfy demand for the fastest selling expansion set in PC game history*.
Following in the tradition of other Blizzard titles, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction becomes not only the sixth Blizzard product to sell 1 million copies, but also to reach #1 in U.S. sales. The expansion, which shipped on June 29, is topping most PC sales charts in North America, Europe and Asia. In its first week alone, the game captured a record 17.7 % percent of total U.S. PC game market share, also according to NPD INTELECT*.
“We are very pleased by the worldwide demand for Diablo II: Lord of Destruction,” stated Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. “We worked very hard on increasing the gameplay and depth of Diablo II and the expansion’s popularity is confirmation that our long hours and hard work have paid off.”
“Diablo II: Lord of Destruction has enjoyed a stellar debut at retail,” stated Bob McKenzie, Director of Merchandising for Babbages, Software Etc. & GameStop.com. “Sales of the expansion have rivaled those of the Diablo II and based on our experiences with the previous Diablo products, we expect Diablo II: Lord of Destruction to remain a top seller throughout the year,” added McKenzie.
In Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, players travel to the Barbarian Highlands of the North in pursuit of Baal, the last surviving Prime Evil. Traveling with a horrific army of demonic minions, Baal plots to corrupt the powerful Worldstone that protects the whole of the mortal plane from the forces of Hell, thus damning the world for all eternity.
Key features of the expansion include two new character classes, the Assassin and the Druid, each equipped with 30 unique skills and spells. Players will also enjoy the opportunity to take their veteran Diablo II characters on the new quests found in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. A new Act set in the Barbarian Highlands, complete with 6 new quests and hours of further challenges, unfolds as players strive to stop Baal and his followers from destroying the world. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction also features support for 800×600 resolution, giving the player a larger field of view and superlative graphic detail.
Debuting in June, 2000 Diablo II has dominated PC game charts with sales of 4 million copies worldwide according to NPD INTELECT* and key retail accounts around the world. The game has also been awarded several accolades including the prestigious Computer Game of the Year, Computer Role Playing Game of the Year and Game of the Year for 2001 by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
When the original Diablo released in 1997, it was considered a critical success and reached number one on NPD INTELECT* during its first month in stores. The game has sold in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide and was honored as the number-one selling computer role-playing game in 1997 as well as being named Game of the Year by Computer Gaming World.
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction was developed by the Blizzard North design team and supports Windows®95/98/2000/XP/NT and Macintosh® formats. The hybrid Macintosh format is currently available in English and Japanese language versions. A retail copy of Diablo II is required to play Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Available at most computer and software retail chains worldwide, the expansion set is selling for approximately $35. The game is also offered directly from Blizzard at (800) 953-SNOW and www.blizzard.com. The game has received a Mature rating from the ESRB.
Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft® series, StarCraft® and Diablo™ series, Blizzard Entertainment® (www.blizzard.com), (a division of Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing) is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard’s track record includes four consecutive number-one selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s free Internet gaming service Battle.net® reigns as the largest in the world with millions of active users.
* NPD INTELECT – June 24, 2001 – June 30, 2001