Diablo 3 now officially live

Diablo 3 is finally here!  Last night, at 12:01 a.m. the Diablo 3 servers went live, allowing fans to experience the next chapter in its highly-anticipated action RPG series.

It's been 20 years since the Prime Evils were defeated and banished from the world of the Sanctuary.  Now its up to you to return to Tristram and investigate rumors of a fallen star, an omen that the End Times have begun.

It's been almost 12 years since fans have last experienced a new Diablo game, and their anticipation for Diablo 3 has definitely shown with more than 2 million pre-orders recorded.

"This launch is a culmination of many years of hard work by our development team, and many years of passionate, dedicated support from gamers around the world," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're grateful for the enthusiasm of our players, and for the help of our beta testers in getting the game ready for release. Now that Diablo III is live, we hope everyone's ready to have a hellishly good time slaying demons and collecting loot in Sanctuary."

Diablo 3 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 an epic quest to save the world of Sanctuary from the corrupting forces of the Burning Hells. As players adventure through rich and varied settings, they'll engage in pulse-pounding combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, grow in experience and ability, acquire artifacts of incredible power, and meet key characters who'll join them in battle or aid them in other ways. The game features the intuitive interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy.

Diablo 3 is now available in retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Gamers in the regions above as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil are also able to purchase Diablo 3 digitally via the game's official website.

For those of you who, last night, experienced Error Code 37, Blizzard warned us of this in the launch day preparation guide in which they said they'd possibly delay login attempts up to 40 seconds to ensure a stable launch experience.  If you saw, or still see, an Error 37 message, it simply means you should try logging in again.