Diablo 3 beta to Begin Third Quarter 2011

During the May 9, 2011 Activision-Blizzard conference call Mike Morhaime stated that the Diablo III beta would commence during the third quarter of 2011, and that internal testing had already been underway for a week[3]. Bashiok further clarified the timeframe:

The 3rd quarter reference in the earning's call today was a calendar quarter, meaning that we're aiming to launch the Diablo III beta between July 1st and September 30th. Keep in mind that it's our current goal, and of course that can change as development continues.

Previously, an announcement about the start time for the beta test was expected in the Q1/2011 Activision/Blizzard conference call, scheduled to take place in early May, 2011.

Thomas Tippl:D3 development continues to go well, and we’re very excited about the game... I’m looking forward to sharing more news about the game, and our upcoming beta, during the next conference call.”