As my fellow writers and I discussed back and forth the possibilities for Blizzard’s upcoming announcement, we decided to hit up the Blizzard site again, and noticed that the image had been updated since our last post.

A few sites are reporting on a confirmation of sorts, from an unnamed source, stating that the mystery game is in fact Diablo 3. However, we have spent a few hours discussing and browsing reference images, all the while making comparisons to the slow reveal image on Blizzard’s site. While Blizzard very well may be announcing Diablo 3, we do not believe that the image on their site is necessarily directly related to that release.

From the image I tried to enhance in Photoshop a bit, you can see some additional detail above and below the eyes. In addition, if the effect Blizzard is going for from a creative standpoint, is a creature slowly moving out of the dark and into the light, then facial features that protrude further than ones brow would already be visible in this stage of the reveal. Therefore, we find it hard to believe that this figure has a nose.

Those looking for more wood to throw in the Diablo 3 fire however, will be happy to know that according to World of War, a book featuring the Diablo figure head (shown below) was included in their Worldwide Invitational grab bag.

While the case for Diablo 3 may seem as open and shut as the book above, conspiracy theorists can easily point to Kotaku’s grab bag reveal just moments ago on their site. The contents of the bag lay spilled in the image you see below, and while they mention a notebook (possibly the one shown above) they do not feature it in the spread. It is also important to note that the grab bag itself features many Blizzard branded items spanning titles such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and the Diablo.

As for now, it appears that those in hopes of receiving an official announcement will just have to wait for the Worldwide Invitational opening ceremony — less than 30 minutes away  — we think you can make it.

Tags: Blizzard, Diablo, Diablo 3, Paris, Reveal, StarCraft, World-of-Warcraft, Worldwide Invitational

• Blizzard’s Mystery Game is the StarCraft MMO
• Ice Shattered: Diablo 3 Announced
• Diablo 3 Coming After All?
• Diablo III Art Director Leaves Blizzard – Plus First Look at New Art Direction
• BlizzCon 08: Diablo 3 Wizard Talent Overview
• My God, It’s Full Of Starcraft: Blizzard Store Offers Digital Downloads
• Blizzard Unveils Diablo 3 Wizard Class Trailer
• Diablo Movie in Development By Legendary Pictures

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