Earlier today, Zipper Interactive prepped for an influx of new beta participants as the closed MAG beta opened up to Qore annual subscribers, SCEE lottery winners, frequent forum posters, and select media.  They also launched a new patch that essentially was comprised of the entire game, so they could further test MAG's higher player count matches.  The PlayStation community had counted down to this day since it was announced late last month.

However, a quick look at Sony's track record of launching online multiplayer games and anyone could see that launching a massive 3GB patch while admitting thousands of new players would be a recipe for disaster and disappointment. Those who were supposed to receive their beta codes today will be forced to wait it out until Monday.  Even worse off,  members who were inducted previously are encountering some critical issues downloading the new 3GB patch, which cause the download to restart at zero if the connection is lost.  As previously scheduled, MAG servers will come down over the weekend, which should allow Zipper enough time to sort things out on their end.

While many are likely to be a little ticked at this news, this IS what a beta is for.  Hopefully, servers will be a non-issue when the game hits retail in January.