Blizzard apologizes for Diablo 3 launch, delays auction house

At this point, most dedicated gaming fans have realized that it's a bad idea to expect you'll be able to play a major online game at launch. But nevertheless, the legions of fans and pre-order customers rushed to their computers on launch day to try to play with their friends. Unfortunately, that didn't go according to plan, and Diablo 3 was hit with several delays and server crashes.

Fans were extremely unhappy with the delay, and a roar rang out Tuesday and Wednesday on social networking sites like Twitter as well as the Diablo forums. Apparently Blizzard took those emotions to heart, because they have issued an official apology to their community.

"As many of you are aware, technical issues occurring within hours after the game's launch led to players experiencing error messages and difficulty logging in," reads the apology letter. "These issues cropped up again last night for the Americas and Europe servers. Despite very aggressive projections, our preparations for the launch of the game did not go far enough."

"We greatly appreciate everyone’s support, and we want to sincerely apologize for the difficulties many of you encountered on day one," the letter continues.

According to the letter, these difficulties have also caused Blizzard to delay the release of the much-reviled Real-Money Auction House. It was originally scheduled to launch on May 22, but has now been moved "beyond." There is no official word on when it will launch.