Following the news that GAME Australia entered administration on Monday, Blizzard have announced they are honouring all cancelled Diablo III pre-orders.

Australian law states that a company in administration is under no obligation to fulfil outstanding orders, so customer who had already paid for Diablo III were likely to be left short.

To the rescue came Blizzard, in an attempt to deflect some of the more negative press surrounding Error 37, have offered to foot the bill to anybody possessing a valid receipt.

Community manager Lylirra posted this on the official Diablo III forum:

We’re aware that some Australian GAME customers have been left out in the cold on what should be the hottest night of the year — the launch of Diablo III. To help with this situation and get these players into the game as soon as possible, we’ve put the following process in place.

Australian GAME customers with a valid preorder/prepurchase receipt dated before May 15, 2012 can do the following:
1. Purchase the digital version of Diablo III from http://www.diablo3.com now or anytime before May 21, 2012.

2. Download and start playing when the servers go live!

3. Submit your GAME Australia preorder/prepurchase receipt to us before June 30, 2012.

4. Receive a credit from Blizzard, for the amount you paid in advance to GAME Australia for Diablo III. This credit will be applied to the payment method used for the digital purchase.

We’ll post further details here on how to submit your GAME Australia receipt to our customer service team as soon as possible. Stay tuned, and we look forward to seeing you in the Burning Hells!

Good news for Australian Diablo III fans, who will now not be able to play the game like the rest of the world.

Source: The Escapist, Diablo III forums

Pricewater Coopers, the administrator, have stated that all 90 retail shops will remain open for the time being and will continue to operate as per usual until the situation has been further assessed.

Rumours surrounding cancelled trade-in credit, loyalty points and gift cards are yet to be addressed, but more information is promised soon.

GAME Australia currently has around 500 employees.

“We are still trading in all stores and will operate in a business as usual mode while the Administrators obtain a clearer understanding of the current state of the business and actively pursue options to secure its future. For further information, please refer to the link for frequently asked questions, our website or contact GAME at customerrelations@game.com.au.”, GAME Aus confirmed on their Facebook upon the announcement of administration.

GAME Australia also announced that it would not be stocking Diablo III and those who pre-ordered the game will not be receiving a refund. Under Australian law, it is entirely legal for a company to not honour refunds when it enters administration, customers are deemed creditors.

Source: MCV, Polygon,Kotaku Australia.