Even though Blizzard did not release Diablo IV until June 6, owners of the Deluxe and Ultimate editions got a head start on their descent into hell on June 1.
For the most part, it worked out that way. Many people who have purchased the updated PlayStation 5 games have encountered an “invalid license” error that prevents them from starting the games. There may be a way around this, but it will cost more money.
After two beta tests and a “server slam” weekend, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Diablo IV. Because of the game’s persistent online nature, PS5 owners will need to access Battle.net in order to validate their copy of the game.
We tested Diablo IV early access on PC, and the login queue was less than a minute, so those playing on PC or Xbox did not have too much of a wait. A significant minority of PS5 owners, however, did not fare as well.
The servers’ busyness was not the only explanation. Blizzard apparently did exhaustive testing of the infrastructure but missed the bug in the PlayStation version of the game. Blizzard issued a statement not long after early access began, saying that the company was aware of PlayStation issues and working to resolve them.
Many PS5 owners were apparently impacted, as evidenced by the over 1,514 angry forum comments as of this writing. Blizzard’s forum has been flooded with complaints from frustrated PS5 players almost 24 hours after the game’s release.
The monetary implications of the situation are especially irritating. The standard version of Diablo IV costs $70, but the more expensive Digital Deluxe and Ultimate versions come with exclusive cosmetic items and skins. To participate in Early Access, they are also necessary. So, PS5 players paid an extra $20-$30 with the hope of getting their hands on the system on June 1.
The situation also worsens. It would appear that some of the “invalid license” issues can be resolved by forking over additional funds. Some players claim that their licenses began functioning properly after they spent $1.99 on the smallest bundle of in-game currency. Not only is there no guarantee that this will work, but rewarding Blizzard with more money when it makes mistakes seems counterproductive.