Whether or not Blizzard manages to launch the Diablo III which is a series of Diablo 2 beta within the timeframe that's been given for months now we don't know, but the developer has offered up a reassurance that the public beta is "very close" to kicking off.

That's according to a Blizzard spokesperson who told VG247, "We're getting very close to starting the closed public beta test for Diablo III."

The "closed" aspect of the beta simply means you'll need an invite to actually play. You can indicate on your Battle.net profile that you're interested in participating in the beta (along with those for StarCraft and World of Warcraft, if and when those come along). Even if you don't get in, Blizzard isn't requiring that players agree to a non-disclosure agreement, meaning they'll be free to take screenshots and videos, as well as talk about the experience. It's not uncommon for the opposite to be the case, where players are not supposed to talk about what it is they're playing. Of course, that doesn't always work out, as evidenced by the leaks from the Battlefield 3 alpha test earlier this summer.

Some new screenshots and videos from Diablo III have made their way out in recent weeks as Blizzard began to roll out the an external beta with friends and family. Like the upcoming public beta, there's no NDA on that, so expect to see more even before the public beta begins.

Since May, Blizzard has been saying to expect the beta to launch in the third quarter, which runs through the end of September. A pre-October date was reiterated early last month during an Activision Blizzard conference call.

As for the launch of the game itself, the goal is to have it out by the end of the year. That isn't being guaranteed at this point, and how things go in the beta will have some effect upon when the game comes out.

"[W]e are still working hard to ship the game before the end of the year," said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime last month. "However, we are not ready to commit to a release date at this time."