Blizzard just released some details on the upcoming Diablo III beta test and announced that the game will feature an auction house that will let players sell and purchase items with either real money or gold. The beta will allow you to try out all 5 character classes and experience the early stages of Diablo III from the start of the game through the Skeleton King encounter. To sign up for the beta, head over to the Beta Profile Settings section of the Battle.net Account Management menu.

Two different versions of the auction house will be available in Diablo III: one based on in-game gold and one based on real-world currency. The gold-based auction house uses in-game gold for purchases and sales and will be available to test in the beta. With the currency-based auction house, players will be able to conduct these transactions using actual currency from an authorized payment method or from funds that have been added to their Battle.net account. Players can choose to participate in whichever version of the auction house they prefer, on a per-transaction basis.

As an advanced paid feature, players will actually be able to "cash out" and have the proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house deposited into their third-party payment service account. It's also worth nothing that players will be able to buy and sell gold through the currency-based auction house at whatever the current market price is, as established by the player community.

We're sure you have more questions regarding Diablo III's auction house, so be sure to check out Blizzard's lengthy FAQ after the jump.

We still have three months to wait until BlizzCon 2011 kicks off, but Blizzard is already getting players prepared for the convention by launching a new BlizzCon community site. In the weeks leading up to the show, the site will be the place to keep tabs on panel schedules, activities, tournament updates and more.

As you might expect, the BlizzCon site is a bit sparse at the moment. The most active thing you can do is join in on the discussion on the new BlizzCon forums while you wait for more content.

BlizzCon will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA from Oct. 21-22. Tickets are sold out, but you can still purchase a virtual ticket to watch all the festivities from the comfort of your couch or computer chair.

Updates to the official Diablo III site are starting to pick up steam! A couple weeks ago, Blizzard introduced the followers that will aid you in the game. Now Blizzard has provided information on the runestones system that will allow you to customize your skills.

There are five runestone types: Crimson, Indigo, Obsidian, Golden, and Alabaster. Each runestone affects skills differently. For example, adding a Crimson Runestone to a skill may enhance its damage, while adding an Alabaster Runestone might add a stun effect. Also, higher ranked runestones will increase the effects.

Head over to the runestones page to see videos that demonstrate how the items can customize various skills in the game.

Following the recent announcement that Diablo III's beta could kick off this summer, Blizzard has introduced the game's followers system:

"In Diablo III, going it alone is a valid option... but it’s not always the safest one. Having a brave companion at your side might not save you from the tearing claws of your enemies, but it can’t hurt to improve your odds. Fortunately, there are others in Sanctuary willing to risk life and limb to strike out at the nightmares sweeping the land - non-player characters that we call followers who’ll accompany you on your journey and join you into battle."

Check out the followers page for more details on the system, and watch the video below to see Kormac the Templar, Lyndon the Scoundrel, and Eirena the Enchantress in action.

During Activision Blizzard's recent earnings call, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime stated that the company is planning to launch external beta testing in Q3 of this year. Bashiok later clarified the comment on the official Diablo III forums:

"The 3rd quarter reference in the earning's call today was a calendar quarter, meaning that we're aiming to launch the Diablo III beta between July 1st and September 30th. Keep in mind that it's our current goal, and of course that can change as development continues."

It looks like there's a light at the end of the tunnel for Diablo III fans. Of course, an official launch date has not been announced, so we'll have to wait and see if the game is ultimately released in 2011 or 2012.

Blizzard just updated its 20th anniversary site with a video that takes a candid look at the history of the company. The mini-documentary clocks in at 48 minutes long and is certainly worth watching for any Blizzard fan.

Check out the video to see how Allen Adham, Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce met at UCLA and formed Silicon and Synapse, which ultimately became the Blizzard Entertainment that we all know today. The video contains commentary from a number of Blizzard employees and follows the company's rise to become a leader in online gaming.

At BlizzCon 2010, Senior VP of Creative Development Chris Metzen unveiled the Demon Hunter as the fifth and final Diablo III class. To go along with the reveal, Blizzard showed off a trailer that showed a female Demon Hunter in action. Four months later, the male Demon Hunter has been added to the game's official site.

Yeah, it's not a major reveal, but we'll take any Diablo III news we can get. Head over to the Demon Hunter page to see a large character model of the male Demon Hunter and to learn more about the class.

Blizzard just announced that BlizzCon will return to the Anaheim Convention Center from Oct. 21-22! This will be the sixth BlizzCon convention, so clear your calendar now if you'd like to attend or watch live coverage of the event. As always, BlizzCon will include a mix of discussion panels, tournaments, hands-on gameplay, contests and much more.

Details regarding ticket information should be released in the coming months. Tickets to BlizzCon 2010 cost $150 each and sold out in minutes on June 2 and 5 last year.

UPDATE: Blizzard just updated the Diablo III site with more information on the Demon Hunter, as well as details on the PvP system.

The BlizzCon 2010 Opening Ceremony just ended, and the biggest announcements were for Diablo III fans. Senior VP of Creative Development Chris Metzen unveiled the Demon Hunter as the fifth and final class and announced that PvP battle arenas will be a part of the game. There's still no word on a release date, so we'll just have to wait and see when Diablo III will actually hit the shelves.

As far as World of Wacraft is concerned, President and CEO Mike Morhaime announced that players will soon be able to pre-order Cataclysm directly through Blizzard and download the expansion in advance of the launch. Cataclysm is set to go live on Dec. 7 at midnight PST, and Morhaime said that players who download Cataclysm will be able to jump right in and play at that time. Of course, we all know to expect downtime and server issues on launch day.

Some great news for Diablo III fans eager for any new tidbits of information, as Blizzard has finally launched their official Diablo III youtube channel! At the moment, however, there are only four videos up, and if you didn't catch their Gamescom 2010 preview of their new Caravan System, you can also watch that video on their official stream. Now players can just monitor the D3 youtube channel for any new and breaking information, so keep your eyes peeled!