Blizzard Hopes to Release Diablo 3 in 2011, but Heart of the Swarm 'Unlikely'

Activision's announcement that we may not see a Blizzard game released in 2011 shed serious doubt on their two known projects: Diablo III and StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm. According to Blizzard, though, there's still hope for one of them this year.

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Kotaku reports that the team is still aiming to finish Diablo 3 for 2011. "That's our goal," said executive VP of game design Rob Pardo. "But you know, at the end of the day, we are going to get it right. That's more important. We're going to get it out there when it's awesome. And, we're crossing our fingers, maybe it will be this year."

That may not sound optimistic, but it's absolutely glowing compared to our odds on seeing Heart of the Swarm this year. "We're working on it as hard as we can," game director Dustin Browder told Eurogamer. "We're really trying to push on this and get it out as soon as we can. I don't think you'll be playing it this year. That seems very unlikely to me."

Of course, it's a strong possibility that neither game will come out this year, and Activision has already promised at least two games in 2012 -- presumably these two -- if none come out in 2011. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and 2012 could become a banner year for Blizzard fans.