Blizzard Entertainment, the mother of all developers, has revealed that the Diablo 3 beta has gone live and, well, here's the official word:

"The fiery gates leading to the Burning Hells have begun to swing open, and the Diablo III beta test is officially underway. Invitations to participate in the beta test are now being delivered to the chosen heroes. As with beta tests for other Blizzard Entertainment games, the testing process for Diablo III will occur in phases. In addition to selecting players who have opted in via their Battle.net accounts, we’ll also be providing keys through beta promotions and giveaways -- stay tuned for more info. We welcome those invited to provide feedback or report bugs on the official forums," says Blizz.

"This closed beta test is an important milestone for us as we enter the final stages of development on Diablo III," said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime.

"Our goal is to create the best action role-playing game experience to date, building on everything we've learned since the release of Diablo II and incorporating the powerful features of the new Battle.net platform. We hope players enjoy participating in the beta test and we look forward to hearing their feedback."

Diablo 3 on the horizon, eh? Oh wait, it's just the damn, beta. Oh well, still more to go until they release the full version. Don't forget you're gonna need a constant Internet connection to play the game.