Diablo III ignites Blizzard Paris event -- LIVE!

Following years of rumors, Blizzard reveals long-awaited third installment in groundbreaking RPG franchise at Worldwide Invitational event.

PARIS--Blizzard fans have lined up around the block of the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center in Paris, looking to become among the first in the world to see the newly announced game from the popular developer/publisher. The 2008 Blizzard Invitational marks the first time the company has held a fan event in Europe; during the two-day event, fans will be able to participate in tournaments, check out playable versions of two Blizzard works in progress: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, attend sessions dedicated to various Blizzard games, and, most importantly, find out all about the next game the company is working on.

The Blizzard event is taking up Hall 5 of the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center, with two levels of the hall devoted to all things Blizzard. Hundreds of fans poured into the center once the event opened at 9 a.m., looking to get hands on time with Starcraft II and the Lich King expansion. In addition to huge areas devoted entirely to those games, there is also a gaming area devoted to the latest WoW expansion, The Burning Crusade. In addition, there's are also two stages devoted to competitive tournaments, as well as a Blizzard store, where fans can stock up on all things Blizzard.

Of course, the big news of the day is the announcement of a new Blizzard game. At 11:45 local time, the opening ceremonies for the Blizzard Invitational will begin, with the mystery announcement coming sometime during the ceremony. Speculation has been rampant for the past few days that the new game is the long-awaited, and heavily rumored, Diablo III. GameSpot is on the scene at the Expo Center and will be covering the event live in a blog below, so stay tuned here for up-to-the-minute coverage of the announcement as it happens.