Blizzard has apologised to frustrated Diablo III players struggling to log-in to the game, and outlined the steps and preparations it has made to correct the problems – including a delay to the game’s Auction House.

In a statement addressed to players, Blizzard displayed a sense of humour about the embarrassing situation, thanking fans for their enthusiasm and bemoaning the “mortal infrastructure” which has let down the “crusade”.

“Despite very aggressive projections, our preparations for the launch of the game did not go far enough,” the developer admitted.

Blizzard believes it has ironed out most of the bugs now with some hasty “optimizations”, although it promises to monitor the situation, enact maintenance, and has delayed the launch of the Auction House for the time being.

Unfortunately, the team hasn’t found a resolution for the achievements issue yet.

See the full statement below.