Blizzard Entertainment celebrated an epic launch with its much-anticipated Diablo III, only to experience an epic fail due to DRM issues and the dreaded Error 37 message that prevented many players from logging on. As a result of the launch woes, Blizzard has issued an official apology to gamers, which you can see below this exclusive launch video from a Gamestop in Irvine, CA, home town of Blizzard.

BioWare is at PAX East to show gamers what’s in store with two free DLC offerings that are coming soon. Players can join the fight to save the galaxy with the first multiplayer downloadable content pack for Mass Effect 3. Available to download for owners of Mass Effect 3 for no additional charge, the Mass Effect 3: Resurgence Pack adds two new maps to the game’s critically acclaimed cooperative multiplayer experience, along with a variety of new playable characters, new weapons and new items that can be unlocked by acquiring reinforcement packs in the game’s multiplayer store. The Mass Effect 3: Resurgence Pack will be available for download on April 10 on Xbox LIVE, the Origin client software and PlayStation Network in North America, and PlayStation Network in Europe on April 11.

Blizzard Entertainment will unleash one of the big games of 2012, Diablo III, the next chapter in its critically acclaimed action role-playing game series, on May 15. Starting that day, gamers with a thirst for fast-paced action and adventure will be able to purchase Diablo III at retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. In addition, gamers in the regions above as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil will be able to buy Diablo III digitally via Blizzard’s Battle.net website.

Ubisoft’s Just Dance 3 sold through more than 7 million units since its release, bringing total sell-through of the Just Dance franchise to more than 25 million units worldwide. Launched in October, Just Dance 3 has consistently been in the top five video game sales charts in both the U.S. (NPD) and Europe (GfK Chart Track).  Just Dance 3 was the best-selling U.S. game on the Kinect for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation Move for PlayStation 3 for December 2011.

LOS ANGELES -- Riot Games today announced that over four million people play League of Legends on a daily basis, a 280% increase since Riot Games last announced the size of its League of Legends community in July 2011. With 11.5 million active monthly players and peak concurrency reaching 1.3 million, League of Legends enters its second competitive season as one of the top five PC games in North America and Europe with a registered player base of over 30 million worldwide. “It’s staggering to think about the fact that over a billion games of League of Legends have been played since launch,” said Marc Merrill, co-founder and President of Riot Games. “In 2012, we intend to deliver even more for our growing audience.”

Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founders of BioWare, used the Eurogamer Summit in London to confirm that Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch in North America on December 20, 2011 and in Europe on December 22, 2011. Set thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader,Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online game challenging players with epic quests, featuring dynamic combat across iconic worlds in the Star Wars galaxy such as Tatooine, Alderaan, Hoth and more. Each of the game’s eight primary classes will enjoy their own unique trilogy of storylines, all of which are fully voiced with a sweeping musical score. Anticipation for the award-winning MMO is at an all-time high as Star Wars: The Old Republic has broken EA pre-order records and won over 95 industry awards and accolades from game critics worldwide.

Who needs competition? Electronic Arts had a record-breaking launch for NHL 12 with 2K Sports off the ice for good. Based on internal estimates, NHL 12 had its biggest launch week in franchise history with more than $27 million generated at retail worldwide.  First week unit sales of NHL 12were up 19 percent across Europe and North America.  The game launched Sept. 9 in Europe and Sept. 13 in North America. 

There's a flood of great games coming out over the next few weeks, and one title you should definitely consider to be near the top of your list is Namco Bandai's Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.  This new entry in the series will introduce a higher range of intensity than ever before, especially when it comes to dogfights and the new helicopter missions.  But don't just take our word for it -- you'll be able to go hands-on for yourself when the demo goes live tomorrow.

Cologne -- The 2011 Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe) kicked off Gamescom 2011 with a successful showing and a final attendee count of more than 2,100 game professionals representing 57 countries. Professionals from all areas of the game industry convened throughout the three day conference and engaged on trends and new opportunities among peers. Many speakers stayed in Cologne, Germany to showcase their titles to the media and public at Gamescom, which has also seen record growth.

Cologne -- Sony Computer Entertainment held its annual press conference to kick off Gamescom 2011 in Germany. The game publisher announced to a packed crowd that it will introduce dedicated applications for Facebook, foursquare, Skype and Twitter to PlayStation Vita (PS Vita). The portable which will launch in Japan by the end of 2011, followed by the U.S. and Europe early next year. One of the big games for the device is Little Deviants, which you can see in action in the video below.

With San Diego Comic Con 2011 now over, NcSoft has shifted its focus across the Atlantic to Gamescom, Europe's largest game expo. This annual celebration of games and entertainment takes over Cologne once again from August 17-21, and the game publisher will be there in full force - and developer ArenaNet is bringing a brand new Guild Wars 2 demo to Germany.