You no longer have to wait 72 hours to play the full version of Diablo III that you just paid for.
Blizzard Entertainment has lifted the restrictions placed on the digital versions of Diablo III, which once limited digital consumers from moving beyond the first act or level 13 for as long as 72 hours.
Blizzard claimed this was an “unintended consequence” of a decision designed to protect customers, as it personally verified each purchase of Diablo III. Upon verification, restrictions lifted.
“For security reasons and to help ensure the integrity of the game and auction house service,” the company said at the time, “players who purchase the digital version of Diablo III may have to wait until payment verification is complete before they can access certain game features. Similar to World of Warcraft, these restrictions were put in place to deter credit card fraud, which in turn helps reduce gold spam and other harmful activities that can have a negative impact on the game experience for everyone.”
This one always looked bad for the company, and I’m not surprised Blizzard was quick to correct it.
This move coincides with the release of patch 1.0.3a, which reverses some significant loot changes players reacted poorly to and other tweaks outlined here.