Blizzard makes an announcement and fans react with a rabidity that can only be described as astounding. One of the many ways that they have responded is by returning to the previous game, Diablo II. That reignited romance has also bolstered sales of the classic game at retail, according to data collected by Gamasutra's Sailing the World column.

The only region that is not keen on checking out Diablo II again is Japan. But in Europe and North America Diablo II products are apparently flying off the shelves. In North America, the Diablo II Battle Chest (a collection that includes the original game plus expansions) ranked number one on the PC charts! Meanwhile, Diablo II ranked number four in the UK, beating out Call of Duty 4 on the PC charts.

A pretty incredible story if you consider how old this game is. But more important than the revitalized sales of the game at retail, is how much fans really want to jump back in to the Diablo franchise. If anything it's an indication that Blizzard should have been working on Diablo III a long time ago. And one more point to ponder -- this does not include digital sales of the game.

SourceGamasutra