Torchlight 2 Might Launch Right After Diablo 3

Torchlight 2 developer Runic Games doesn't plan to go into hiding when Diablo 3 is released. Instead, they're hoping to release their action RPG a matter of weeks after D3 hits stores.

Torchlight and its sequel are much like Diablo. They're hack-and-slash dungeon-crawlers with deep, randomized loot tables. Runic co-founders Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer were actually founders of Blizzard North, the studio that developed the first two Diablo games.

"Well, I'm sure you've noticed Diablo has announced a date. So, we don't want to fall right on that," Max Schaefer told Joystiq. "The real answer is when [Torchlight 2] is finished, is Diablo 3 right now? Then we'll wait."

The ideal launch date for T2, according to Schaefer, is about a month after D3. They're not a slave to that time table, though. They want to make sure the game is as good as it can be.

"Be patient," Schaefer said when asked if he had a message for fans. "Our total development time on this game is going to be about two years, which is not unreasonably long for this type of game. We're going as fast as we can. It'll be worth the wait, it'll totally be worth the wait. In the long run, people will be happy we took this extra time."

D3 will launch on May 15th. We could be looking at a June release for Torchlight 2, then. Sounds good to me; the summer is always short on new releases.