Blizzard announced today that the launch of Diablo III has been pushed back to early 2012. The company was originally planning to release the game by the end of this year, but it appears that "'soon' was too soon" for that launch window. Here's a comment from Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime:

"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. 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."

As Morhaime mentioned, this move means that the Diablo III beta will be extended. The beta just kicked off this week, and Mike B. aka Fony focused on it in his latest BFF Report. Watch BFF Report Episode 82: Diablo III Beta to see the game in action and hear Fony's thoughts on his beta experience.