Diablo 4's Launch Won't Be Plagued by Beta's Connectivity Issues, Says Blizzard

Blizzard has said the technical issues that plagued Diablo 4’s “rocky” open beta have helped pave the way for its full launch on June 6.

Last weekend saw Blizzard hold the first mostly open beta for Diablo 4, which was accessible for gamers who had either preordered a copy of the game or obtained a promotional code by ordering chicken from KFC. Unfortunately, the three-day event was marred by numerous technical issues that forced players to endure prolonged queue times while encountering frustrating error messages.

“The word beta nowadays has kind of been misconstrued, where people start calling things beta that’s [actually] a marketing beta, and it’s just another term for a demo,” said Diablo 4’s general manager Rod Fergusson in an interview with NME. “That’s not our case at all. Our beta is actually us testing our technology — especially on the server side. We had a little bit of a rocky start on Friday.”

Fergusson added that the development team pushed out six hotfixes and “solved dozens of issues over the course of the weekend. Those fixes will hopefully smooth the way for the second open beta taking place this coming weekend, and ultimately pave the way for Diablo 4's launch on June 6."

He continued: “Sometimes as a player it can be a little frustrating, but they have to recognise that they’re helping us make the actual launch of the game that much better."

Be sure to check out IGN’s Diablo 4 Wiki guides to get the most out of this weekend’s open beta, which will run from March 24 to 26, and will once again be available to those who have pre-ordered the game.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer