Our geeky design guru has been a die-hard Diablo fan ever since the first edition came out. Now, as Blizzard sets the stage for launching Diablo III, and fans around the world (our guru included) sit and wait in anticipation, a design scandal is brewing, and the guru is alllll over it.

It all started when Blizzard uploaded some screenshots from Diablo 3 into its official website. The fans drooled over the screenshots, examined them carefully, and had some input: the screenshots weren’t dark enough. Too many rainbow effects, and not enough grittiness. Some creative fans edited the screenshots, and made them darker. A petition was started online, to call for a change of direction by the Blizzard design team. It became a massive petition, and whether because of it, or for other reasons, Diablo III art director, Brian Morrisroe, quit.

We decided to test the Diablo 3 design issue: a Diablo photo poll was posted, along with samples of the original Blizzard Diablo 3 screenshots, and some fan-made darker shots. We then called on Diablo fans in discussion forums and message boards to voice their opinions. As of now, over 1,200 gamers voted on our Diablo III poll, and the results are surprising: most people definitely prefer the original Blizzard design (does someone have Brian Morrisroe’s email? He’d be pleased).

Here’s a link to the full results of our Diablo 3 poll.