Blizzard collecting hardware data

Blizzard Entertainment is including a data collection file in the latest Diablo II update, which will be released this week. Diablo II patch 1.09c will relay anonymous hardware configuration data back to Blizzard, which the company will then use to help tailor its upcoming real-time strategy game, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos , to meet the system configurations of its customers. The company will not collect any personal information, and it will not be able to associate any hardware information with any particular user. Players will also have the option to disable the data collection portion of the patch by unchecking the appropriate box on the patcher. In addition to the data collection file, the latest Diablo II patch includes various bug fixes for the popular role-playing game.

Diablo II was released in June 2000. The fast-paced role-playing game is set in a medieval fantasy world, and it was one of the best-selling games of 2000. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, an expansion set for the game, was released in June 2001, and it has consistently placed in the weekly and monthly lists of best-selling games this year. For more information, read our full reviews of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos .