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Diablo III targeted by German consumer advocacy group

Blizzard's action role-playing game misleads buyers by not specifying a constant online connection is required to play, group says.

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Some players have taken exception to Diablo III's constant Internet connection, and a German consumer advocacy group could take formal action on their behalf. According to German site PC Games, and as reported by GamingBlend, the Federation of Consumer Organizations advised Blizzard it has until July 27 to more clearly detail the game's online requirement on its packaging lest the group pursue legal action.

Diablo III has had a hexed first few months despite great sales.
Diablo III has had a hexed first few months despite great sales.

Diablo III's current packaging stipulates only that an online connection is required to register with Blizzard's Battle.net service, the report states, and does not say the game is unplayable without continued Internet access. The group also censured Blizzard's handling of the game's launch, which left many completely unable to play even the game's single-player because of overloaded servers.

It's not the only planned legal action in response to Diablo III's always-on DRM woes. Blizzard was legally obligated to provide refunds for South Korean gamers, and a trade group of Korean Internet cafe owners plan a class action lawsuit to compensate for fees paid to Blizzard needed to offer the then-nonfunctional game to customers.

GameSpot requested comment from Blizzard on how it plans to respond to the German group, but had not received a response as of publication time.

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