The wait for Diablo III is nearly over. Blizzard Entertainment today attached a May 15 release date to the long-awaited action role-playing game. Gamers can prepurchase the title today on Battle.net. The Demon Hunter joins familiar faces to face down Diablo this time around.

　　Beginning on May 15, gamers can purchase Diablo III at brick-and-mortar retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Additionally, players in those regions--as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil--will be able to purchase a digital copy of Diablo III via Battle.net.

　　Diablo III continues its worldwide release in June. Starting June 7, gamers in the above-mentioned Latin American regions and Russia can purchase Diablo III at physical retailers.

　　On top of the English version of Diablo III, the game will be "fully localized" into Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Korean, and traditional Chinese.

　　Diablo III will be launched without its multiplayer player-versus-player arena component. That part of the game will be delivered digitally to gamers at later date via a patch. When the multiplayer component is launched, it will include "multiple arena maps with themed locations and layouts, PVP-centric achievements, and a matchmaking system," as well as a "personal progression system."

　　Diablo III will be available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 machines, as well as Macintosh computers at a $60 (£44.99) price point. A premium Diablo III Collector's Edition will be sold exclusively at retail for $100 (£69.99). This version includes behind-the-scenes video, the game's soundtrack, and a 208-page art book.

　　On top of those items, the collector's edition includes a novelty 4GB USB drive, which includes full versions of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, as well as exclusive in-game content for Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty.

　　World of Warcraft gamers who sign up for a World of Warcraft Annual Pass before 12:01 a.m. PT on May 1 will receive a free digital copy of Diablo III.

　　Diablo III is the first title in the series since 2001's Diablo II: Lord of Destruction expansion and will add a variety of new features, character classes, and a new auction house system designed as "a new way for the company to pull revenues from the game."

　　For more on Diablo III, check out GameSpot's latest preview.