Blizzard Entertainment today announced that as of the first 24 hours of Diablo III’s release, more than 3.5 million copies had been sold, setting the new all-time record for fastest-selling PC game.

That number does not include the more than 1.2 million players who received Diablo III as part of signing up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion, the company announced.

"Altogether, more than 4.7 million gamers around the world were poised to storm Sanctuary on day 1 of Diablo III’s release - representing the biggest PC-game launch in history."

As of the first week of the game's availability, that number had already grown to more than 6.3 million.

"We're definitely thrilled that so many people around the world were excited to pick up their copy of Diablo III and jump in the moment it went live," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.

Morhaime also spoke out about the launch drama, which saw congested servers result in many players being unable to play the game.

"We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support."

"Regarding today's announcement, we recognise that setting a new launch record is a big achievement," Morhaime continued.

"However, we're especially proud of the gameplay feedback we've received from players worldwide. We're pleased that Diablo III has lived up to players' high expectations, and we're looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead."

Diablo III is available for Windows and Macintosh computers.