Turkish Diablo fan waits 30 hours in line to buy game

A fan in costume waits in line. DHA Photo

One video game fan waited in line for 30 hours to be among the first players in Turkey to get their hands on the video game "Diablo III" before the game was released at midnight yesterday.

Diablo III was released with a special event in Istanbul's Taksim square yesterday, where gamers could buy the regular game or a special collector's edition reserved for the one-night-only event.

Computer salesman, 40-year-old Çağatay Argun, was the first in line for the game as began waiting at Taksim Square 30 hours ahead of the game's scheduled release time. A line started to form behind him 20 hours after he arrived, when the release was still 10 hours away.

“It is a 20-year story,” Argun said when asked why he began standing in line so early. “I have loved the Diablo series since I was in high school, and I have been waiting for so long for the new game.”

Real money for game items

A new feature introduced in “Diablo III” is the ‘Auction House,’ a virtual store where gamers can sell the intangible, virtual items and weapons they have found in the Diablo realm for actual real world cash. The auction system will be powered by Diablo's developer Blizzard on the company's Battle.net service.

“Diablo III” was announced for release in 2008, although its actual release came four years later. "Frankly we had no idea on the release date until Blizzard mentioned May 15. They previously told us one thing: Diablo will be out whenever it is ready. So as far as we knew, the game could come out as late as 2016," said Diablo's Turkey distributor Aral Game Group Manager Murat Acar when asked the reasons for the release delay. (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkish gamers queue up for midnight 'Diablo III' launch

The regular edition of Diablo III will be sold for 110 Turkish Liras ($60).

Gamers have formed a long queue in Istanbul's Taksim Square to get their hands on a special-edition of the long-awaited sequel to the "Diablo" franchise, "Diablo III."

The gamers were set to wait for at least 9 hours in the line - not very long considering they have been waiting for Diablo III for years, enduring frustrations as the game's release date has been repeatedly delayed. The previous installment, "Diablo II," was released 12 years ago.

The regular edition of Diablo III will be sold for 110 Turkish Liras ($60), while those who want to get their hands on the collector's edition will have to pay 240 Turkish Liras ($130).

Diablo III allows players to choose a character from among five different heroes: the barbarian, the witch doctor, the wizard, the monk, or the demon hunter, to battle the forces of evil.
(ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)