While Diablo 3 might be the fastest selling PC game in history, it also holds the dubious honor of being the quickest game to disappoint in history. At the stroke of midnight, millions of gamers tried to log on to the Diablo 3 servers, a necessary step because of the game’s piracy prevention, and were instead met with several error messages, most notably Error 37.
Since the game’s launch Blizzard has responded, and delayed the launch of their much-maligned Auction House (where players can sell in-game items for real world currency) but even that was overshadowed by the poor launch. By now most of those problems are worked out, and Blizzard can bask in some spectacular sales numbers, but that doesn’t mean gamers will forget.
Sure, in ten years time, when Blizzard is hyping the next Diablo they might discuss it as being a sequel to the fastest selling PC game of all time, but the real question is whether or not gamers will remember how poorly its predecessor launched. Take World of Warcraft for example, that highly anticipated MMO buckled under the pressure, but over time most have come to recognize it as the most popular MMO ever. Will Diablo 3 be able to do the same, and shake off its rough start?
Do you think that Diablo 3’s legacy will be as the fastest selling PC game or one of the worst launch failures? Will a Blizzard game ever launch without problems, or is it just part of the process?
