Diablo III locks digital buyers into Starter Edition for limited time
Digital purchasers may not have the full game for up to 72 hours
Blizzard has announced that as of patch 1.0.3, consumers who purchase the digital version of Diablo III are restricted to the Starter Edition of the game. This means no auction house access, level 13 cap, no global play, matchmaking only with other Starter Edition players, and only Act I is available.
According to Blizzard support, the delay is required to approve digital purchases. While the delay can be up to 72 hours, approval can also happen much quicker.
"Digital purchases do require a review period before they kick over from Starter to Full editions. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it is a necessary step to combat fraud and other malicious activities that can weaken everyone's play experience," said the support person.
"The delay is no longer than three days, and is often much quicker than that."
Some fans are noticeably outraged by any possible delay in playing the full game. Consumer problem, or much ado about nothing?