Diablo 3 - 3.5M Sold in 24 hours

Blizzard announces Diablo III is the fastest selling PC title in history, with 3.5M sales in the first 24 hours, a further 1.6M in the following week - added to the 1.2M from the WoW Annual Pass, that makes 6.3M players. The press release says "sold", not "sell-in", so these appear to be end-user sales.

DIABLO^® III SETS PC-GAME LAUNCH RECORD

The forces of Sanctuary already stand more than 6.3-million strong and growing

PARIS, France - 23 May, 2012 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that as of the first 24 hours of Diablo^® III’srelease, more than 3.5 million copies had been sold, setting the new all-time record for fastest-selling PC game.^* That number does not include the more than 1.2 million players who received Diablo III as part of signing up for the World of Warcraft^® Annual Pass promotion.

Altogether, more than 4.7 million gamers around the world were poised to storm Sanctuary on day 1 of Diablo III’ s release - representing the biggest PC-game launch in history.

As of the first week of the game’s availability, that number had already grown to more than 6.3 million.^* The above figures also do not include players in Korean Internet game rooms, where Diablo III has become the top-played game, achieving a record share of more than 39% as of May 22.^†

“We’re definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of Diablo III and jump in the moment it went live,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support.”

“Regarding today’s announcement, we recognize that setting a new launch record is a big achievement,” Morhaime continued. “However, we’re especially proud of the gameplay feedback we’ve received from players worldwide. We’re pleased that Diablo III has lived up to players’ high expectations, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead.”