VIDEO: Blizzard Releases Diablo 3's Opening Sequence

Blizzard has released the opening cinematic to Diablo 3 which is still scheduled to launch in early 1Q12.

As it stands now, there's no official release date for Blizzard’s highly-anticipated action-RPG for the PC, Diablo 3, save for a vague early 1Q12 launch window. That said, any Diablo 3-related piece of artwork, screenshot or in-game video footage released before then is mere torture for eager fans. Maybe that's why Blizzard released the Diablo 3 opening cinematic during Spike TV's 2100 Video Game Awards on Saturday.

The third Diablo installment arrives almost 12 years after Diablo 2 hit shelves in 2000. But don't worry -- this won't be another Duke Nukem Forever scenario in the making. Just based on the beta alone, the game should become one of the most popular PC games of 2012. It's even an industry changer, bringing to the tablet an auction house that uses real-world money, seemingly legitimatizing gold farming.

For those who have been living under a rock for the last three or four years, here's the Diablo 3 storyline ripped from the official website: "The game takes place on Sanctuary, a world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants, Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those warriors who directly faced Hell’s armies -- and were fortunate enough to survive -- went mad from their experiences. And most of the others have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their thoughts. In Diablo 3, players will return to Sanctuary to confront evil in its many forms once again."

But enough chatter already -- here's the opening sequence provided by GameTrailers, and links to our hands-on with the closed beta: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.