Bashiok on Diablo III Pre-Order Release Dates

In case you're one of the few people who believe the various release dates being slapped on Diablo III pre-orders, community manager Bashiok has reiterated that such dates are only "guesses".
As always, unless it is officially announced by us, usually through a press release, any release dates are purely guesses made up by the retailer. I don't pretend to know every retailer's pre-order requirements or rules, but I believe a release date usually has to be present for them to begin taking pre-orders. So they sort of make one up.

That isn't meant to discourage you pre-ordering the game, feel free if you want, but be aware that the retailer likely has a disclaimer stating that the date they list isn't a guaranteed release date, and it certainly isn't.