Diablo III will only be playable online

Diablo III was announced in mid-2008 and few details have emerged since then. However, details have now emerged suggesting that Battle.net and Auction House features have made it impossible to play the game offline.
Executive Vice-President of Game Design at Blizzard, Rob Pardo said there are several changes that have been made to Diablo’s multiplayer system, and that Diablo III would keep gamers connected at all times. A few of the new features include a persistent friend’s list, persistent characters that are stored server-side, persistent party system, cross-game chat via the RealID system, dynamic drop-in/drop-out for co-op, player vs. player, a large item collection that can be shared between 10 of your characters and the Banner system which allows players to display their gaming skills through achievements earned, victories and other stats tracked.
Pardo acknowledged that the online-only requirement may anger customers who do not have an Internet connection, or a slow line, however he says the new features will outweigh the negatives. Pardo added, “I want to play Diablo III on my laptop in a plane, but, well, there are other games to play for times like that.”