Blizzard have kindly informed us that Diablo 3 is the new all-time best selling PC game of all time after selling 3.5 million copies within the first 24 hours of its release. On top of this, 1.2 million more people received a copy of the game as part of the World of Warcraft annual pass promotion. A bit of simple maths leads to the fantastic figure of 4.7 million gamers with access to the game at launch, a figure which may explain some of the server issues, but which doesn’t disguise the fact that the always online requirement is baffling. That though is a story for another time. More details and quotes about the launch of Diablo 3 can be found after the jump.

Internal Blizzard figures and reports from retailers indicate that the number of users of Diablo 3 has grown to 6.3 million. A shockingly high number for a PC exclusive title, one which firmly shows that there is a lot of life in the PC market away from Steam. A nice quote from CEO and co-founder of Blizzard, Mike Morhaime also offers an apology to anyone who experienced difficulty getting access to the game at launch.

“We’re definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of Diablo III and jump in the moment it went live,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support.”

“Regarding today’s announcement, we recognize that setting a new launch record is a big achievement,” Morhaime continued. “However, we’re especially proud of the gameplay feedback we’ve received from players worldwide. We’re pleased that Diablo III has lived up to players’ high expectations, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead.”