Blizzard Entertainment confirmed yesterday the hopes of many by presenting an intro to Diablo III, a video game long rumored to be in production.

The much-foreseen third installment of the respected role-playing series is scheduled  for release on PC and Mac. The announcement was made during Blizzard's 2008 World Wide Invitational (WWI) and the company handed over a quantity of game details to raise the interest for the game.

The storyline of Diablo III is set 20 years after the events of Diablo II: "Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal have been defeated, but the Worldstone, which once shielded the world of Sanctuary from the forces of both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, has been destroyed, and evil once again stirs in Tristram...." reads Blizzard's announcement.

The main changes in the sequel are some exciting new graphics, destructible environments, and a new playable character class - the deranged Witch Doctor. In addition, plans to put together an online multiplayer  component via Battle.net are being developed, although further details were not disclosed.

A long trailer highlighting in-game footage that provides a generous view of the new features can be seen at the game's official website. 

The 3D graphics engine is new, physics are powered by Havok and the randomly-generated environments will be interactive. "We've wanted to expand on the epic story and gameplay elements of the Diablo universe for some time now," Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, commented on the long wait for Diablo III.