Although Blizzard hasn't announced any plans to create console games, the PC game company revealed in an interview with MTV Multiplayer that they talk to console makers "all the time."

In fact, during my conversation in Paris with Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams, he said that the company is more than friendly with console manufacturers:

"We have constant conversations with the console manufacturers. We speak to them all the time and talk about the different things that are coming down the pipe. I think all of them would like to see Blizzard games on their systems, but for us it's all about making the right game for the right platform, and thus far we haven't found the right one for our franchises."

I also asked Sams about how merging with a top console game maker might affect the platforms they work on. And while Vice President of Game Design Rob Pardo told Eurogamer that a port of "Diablo" was "theoretically possible," Sams didn't think ports of existing games were the way to go for Blizzard's foray onto those platforms.

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At the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, it wasn't all about "Diablo III."

Amid the festivities, I sat down with Blizzard execs Paul Sams, Chief Operating Officer, and Frank Pearce, Executive Vice President of Product Development. The pair, in separate interviews at the event, gave me their insight about several topics, including:

• Why "Diablo III" isn't an MMO
• Making another MMO to compete with "World of Warcraft"
• The player overlap between their games
• The time between their game releases
• Creating a new game franchise
• And more

Read on for the details...

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Yesterday we reported why Blizzard decided to alter the dark art style of the "Diablo" franchise and how this angered so many fans that they started a petition against the new, colorful world of "Diablo III."

However, other fans were angry that a petition was even made to ask Blizzard to change what they had done. So what did they do? They started a petition. Well, two of them, actually.

One petition says that the new art direction is "stylish," "a breath of fresh air" and allows the game "to stand out from the crowd of brown and grey games, or 'realistic' (e.g. boring) looking games." The other simply states, "Diablo III looks like an absolutely amazing game and the colours should NOT be changed. You're doing a wonderful job. Keep up the great work."

These sentiments echo some of the comments made on our blog -- how the color is a natural progression of the game's evolution and story (with the three Prime Evils dead and gone), and how ultimately, gamers should trust Blizzard to make a great game. So far there are about 1,000 signatures total on both petitions. Who do you think will win?

At the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, lead producer Keith Lee ran down the story and gameplay details on "Diablo III" so far, including some information about the different classes they'll include (or possibly exclude) and the new art style.

Note that he talks about increased randomization in terms of the environments, quests and encounters. Do you think those features will offer the element of surprise that people seemed to credit to "Diablo II"'s darker settings?

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)

Why did Blizzard choose an art style for "Diablo III" that would anger so many fans? I got answers in Paris last weekend before people were really asking the question.

And I know of at least 14,000 people who'd like an answer. Those are the thousands of diehard "Diablo" fans who have signed a petition against the game's new art direction (with more than 1,000 signatures added every hour).

When I asked lead producer Keith Lee about "Diablo III'"s new art style at the Worldwide Invitational in Paris, he explained why Blizzard went in that direction.

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This post was originally published on July 1 but was temporarily removed because of technical issues with our commenting system.

One thing that fans of the "Diablo" franchise love is the various character classes they can choose from to play (and re-play) the game. At the Blizzard event in Paris over the weekend, the company announced "Diablo III" along with a brand-new character class, the Witch Doctor.

The Witch Doctor uses ancient tribal magic with the ability to summon minions and use curses, like scaring enemies away and building a wall of zombies for protection. All of these abilities are very similar to those of the beloved Necromancer class featured in "Diablo II." Aside from the melee warrior class the Barbarian (also in "Diablo II") no other classes have been announced at this time.

I asked lead producer Keith Lee one of our readers' burning questions: Is the Witch Doctor the new Necromancer? Read more...

How similar are "Too Human" and "Diablo III"? Before fans of either series hurl harsh words at us, bear in mind that we didn't make the comparison first. Both recent and early impressions of Silicon Knights' "Too Human" have said that the upcoming Xbox 360 title's loot, skill tree and combat systems are similar to that of past "Diablo" titles. Some previews even proclaimed that "Too Human" is "Diablo III" before the Blizzard game was even announced.

While in Paris this past weekend, I asked "Diablo III" lead producer Keith Lee what his reaction was to these comparisons to "Too Human."

He denied having heard much about it:

"I haven't heard much about other games being similar to 'Diablo III,' but what I can say is that no other company can make 'Diablo' the way we do, and I think you'll be very excited to see it get released. I don't really know too much about the other games that are being compared with 'Diablo.'"

I haven't had a chance to play the most recent build of "Too Human" (though Stephen Totilo has). Now that "Diablo III" is official, what do you think? Is "Too Human" trying to fill "Diablo"'s shoes on consoles? Could it be better than "Diablo III"? Or is there no comparison?

Jet lag's no fun. And neither are long lines. If you missed out on the 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational held in Paris over the weekend, you can check out our handy video re-cap of the event, including the announcement of "Diablo III" ...all without the hassle.

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)

Couldn't make it out to Paris for Blizzard's big event?

You can live vicariously through my collection of photos from the two-day Worldwide Invitational which featured some interesting cosplay (of course), Video Games Live performing, and Blizzard bigwigs turned rockstars (Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain!).

And yes, I even fulfilled a reader's request. Click for all the images.

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A few hours after the announcement of "Diablo III" and a quick gameplay demo, lead designer Jay Wilson outlined the design goals for the game in a jam-packed panel at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational.

He promised that "Diablo III" will stay true to the spirit and gameplay of previous "Diablo" games. Overall, they want to improve "Diablo" by adding more fast-paced action and expanding the RPG experience without sacrificing the ease of play. He said there are new systems, but they're not talking about them this weekend.

However, Wilson did speak about plenty of other "Diablo III" game design elements, such as:

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