Blizzard Hiring for Diablo 3 Console Version?

A Blizzard job listing is looking for a senior producer for the Diablo 3 team, specifically for consoles.

Based on a job listing on Gamasutra, it appears that the console version of Diablo 3 has received a green light from Activision Blizzard. The news arrives just after Blizzard Entertainment CEO Mike Morhaime said last week that the company was investigating the possibility of Diablo 3 for consoles "to see if that made sense."

According to the job listing, Blizzard is looking for a full-time senior producer for the Diablo 3 console team. "Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a highly organized individual with outstanding communications and project management skills for the Diablo team," the description reads. "The ideal candidate has prior experience in console game development and has a keen knowledge of how each discipline operates and interacts. Self-direction and follow-up skills are a must, as well as the ability to anticipate production issues and find effective solutions."

"The candidate must be fully committed to seeing projects through from inception to completion, and delivering games on time with the highest quality," the job description added.

Qualified applicants must have four years of experience in the gaming industry, at least one AAA console title published while in a senior producer position, knowledge of software development processes, project management, and performance management, and many other requirements. Oh, and Blizzard hopefuls must have a passion for video games, especially Blizzard Entertainment titles.

The idea of Diablo 3 for consoles has been around for several months, but this is the first solid evidence of the project taking shape. Blizzard initially mentioned the console version back in November 2010, telling the Diablo 3 community that the company was exploring "a Diablo-related concept for consoles."

Earlier this week Blizzard VP Rob Pardo said that the company's goal was to push Diablo 3 out to retail shelves by the end of 2011. However the company didn't have a problem delaying the game's release in order to "get it right." But with console development now out in the open, will Blizzard release Diablo 3 on all platforms at once, or will the PC/Mac version hit retail shelves first? Another question that comes to mind is this: will Diablo 3 be cross-platform?

As of this writing, Blizzard has not released a statement in regards to the job listing.