Diablo III out May 15, can be pre-purchased right now

We’ve already seen Mass Effect 3‘s launch come and go, which means the next big game of 2012 is Diablo III. You won’t have to wait too long for it, as Activision Blizzard promises it’ll be ready by May 15, 2012. It’s so ready to commit to that launch date that people can pre-purchase and download the game right now. They won’t actually be able to play it yet. The game you download will be locked and encrypted, sealed away until May 15 arrives, but you’ll have the knowledge that it’s sitting there on your hard drive and you can launch it immediately at midnight that day. These next two months will just fly by!

The standard download and retail editions of Diablo III are $59.99 and will work on most Windows and Mac PCs. If you’re a real fan or just happen to have a lot of extra money lying around, you can upgrade to the $99.99 collector’s edition. Pick this up in a store and you get the game, a 4gb USB soulstone drive with Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction preloaded on it, a making-of Blu-ray and DVD, a soundtrack, the Art of Diablo III book, a skull base and DLC for other Blizzard games. To be more specific, you’ll get extra items to use in Diablo III, StarCraft II and World of Warcraft.

In addition to hyping up the official Diablo III release and ability to pre-purchase the game now and download an encrypted, locked copy of the game, Activision Blizzard also took the time to point out the World of Warcraft Annual Pass is still available. With this promotion you promise to subscribe to World of Warcraft for 12 months. That’s $14.99 per month with the standard subscription plan. If you commit you get to be in the Mists of Pandaria expansion beta, get a Tyrael’s Charger mount and you get a full, free copy of Diablo III. You have to sign up for that by May 1, 2012 if you want in on the deal. If you’re already a dedicated WoW player, it is a pretty good promotion.

Read [Blizzard Entertainment Press Releases] Site [Diablo III]