After a long silence, it looks as if Blizzard is still planning on releasing their own official DotA mod and promise that it’s still on its way.

Shown at last year’s Blizzcon, Blizzard has been planning on releasing their own official take on the popular mod for quite some time. Even though they have remained quiet about the details, lead producer Chris Sigaty had this to say about the game:

There’s no telling what these “massive overhauls” entail, but knowing Blizzard’s track-record for quality releases, the changes are probably for the better. Though, since this will mark the first official Blizzard release of DotA, there is a lot to be excited about. While other versions of DotA had to make use of original characters or generic avatars based on existing models, the official Blizzard iteration will more than likely bring some famous faces to the forest battlefield.

With so many iconic series to draw from, it would be incredible to see characters from Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and World Of Warcraft all making appearances in the game. How awesome would it be to have a team comprised of Jim Raynor, Thrall, Arthas, Kerrigan and Diablo? This could be a major selling point for the official game mod - if they make use of famous Blizzard staples - something that will set it apart from the competition.

Not only will this mark the second big DotA-related release on the horizon with Valve’s DotA 2 working its way through production, helmed by one of the original DotA’s developers, IceFrog - it will also enter the market in direct competition with the popular League Of Legends and Heroes Of Newerth which both make use of the tried and true DotA formula. With so many similar games on the market, it’s difficult to predict which one will come out on top.

While it is not known yet whether the mod will cost money or what game will be required to play it, Heart Of The Swarm is the most likely candidate as DotA will be launching around the time of its release. Hopefully come E3 2011 next week, more details regarding Blizard’s highly-anticipated mod will arise. Until then, gamers can only speculate.

Have you played any of the “DotA clones” on the market? What Blizzard characters would you like to see make an appearance in their version of the mod?

Source: Joystiq