Blizzard is going to have an external beta for the upcoming Diablo 3. Besides announcing that it would start at some point during the third quarter of 2011, not much else was announced on how or who would be able to participate in the beta. The target for the beta is sometime between July and September.

Diablo 3 has been undergoing company-wide testing at Blizzard and on the recent earnings call, Mike Morhaime confirmed that the game looks great. While the announcement of an external beta is certainly exciting, no details were provided as to the specifics on an actual release date. The only thing that was reaffirmed is that team is working hard to get the game out before 2012.

Sources continue to tell us that it is unlikely that Diablo 3 will be released late this year, and a release in the first or second quarter of 2012 is likely. Still, with Blizzard talking about an external beta of Diablo 3, maybe it is further along than anyone suspects.