Blizzard unleashed a bit of good news today about their highly anticipated hack and slash adventure game, Diablo 3. The beta testing phase will be extended longer than originally planned, with the inclusion of a currently unknown number of additional players to the beta. Unfortunately, this came alongside the news of Diablo 3‘s release getting pushed into early 2012. Win some, lose some, right?

In a press release from earlier today, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime stated, “With every game we make, the temptation is always very strong to launch as soon as possible. However, we didn’t put so many years of work into Diablo III to release a game that was almost ready.” Clearly, the company has lingering memories of StarCraft 2 and the wave of criticism Blizzard endured after releasing what many considered an unfinished update rather than a full sequel.

“The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we’re taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers.”

At the very least, this means more players will get their feet into the beta testing and have a chance at the new adventure. Anyone had a chance with the game yet? Already bashing heads as a Barbarian? Put down your share of monsters as a Demon Hunter? Talk about it in the forums!

Tags: 2012 releases, barbarian, Blizzard, demon hunter, Diablo 3, monk, video games, witch doctor, wizard