Overwhelmed Diablo 3 servers crash on launch day

The much-anticipated launch of PC game Diablo 3 had a rocky start, with servers overwhelmed by heavy traffic. The game was due to launch at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time, but many gamers were unable to access the game until around 1:30 a.m.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Diablo 3 is the most pre-ordered PC-based game in history. VGChartz reported that the game had over 823,000 pre-orders in the USA. New Zealand gamer Dominic Wallis said he spent over 90 minutes trying to login, repeatedly getting an "error 37." At 12:46 a.m. Diablo tweeted "working to resolve login & char creation issues due to traffic. We've added servers & brought our websites offline." The Diablo Facebook page describes the game as "a fast-paced action RPG with powerful heroes facing the onslaught of a demonic invasion." At 1.37 a.m the latest Facebook update had received 6,432 comments. The Diablo series is made by Blizzard Entertainment, the same company that makes PC gaming icon World of Warcraft. Pre-launch discussion on the Battle.net gaming forum speculated over server capability during launch. Forum user "FenixHero" posted "Congratulations! I have heard that Diablo 3 has the biggest pre-orders of any product ever! With that said I gotta ask, are you really prepared for the server load." User "GundamZphyr" posted "WoW took them off-guard, and I think they learned from that experience." According to PCworld magazine, no early review-copies were issued to the press, meaning Diablo 3 reviews won't be online until after launch day.