Mere moments after Nintendo opened pre-orders for the special edition version of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on the My Nintendo Store on Wednesday morning, the site went down as hundreds of hopeful buyers flocked to it. Nintendo of America issued an apology on Twitter 30 minutes after pre-orders began, stating that the site’s servers were unable to accommodate the intense traffic. The issue was apparently exclusive to buyers in North America, as the game was readily purchasable in Australia and New Zealand without any hassle.

We apologize for any inconvenience that you may be experiencing while attempting to pre-order the #XenobladeChronicles3 Special Edition. The My Nintendo Store is experiencing a high volume of traffic and we appreciate your patience while we look into the issue.

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 8, 2022

Many fans were understandably upset when they were unable to preorder the game, especially those who spent nearly six hours waiting for the My Nintendo Store page to load. Some who took to Twitter criticized Nintendo for failing to make the special edition available on multiple platforms. Others were quick to point out that scalping bots may have been responsible for overloading the servers; later, those suspicions were confirmed when listings for the game began appearing on eBay at a staggering markup.

These Xenoblade 3 scalpers are evil pic.twitter.com/8wAy6jJaiH

— TheNCSmaster (@TheNCSmaster) June 8, 2022

Nearly 11 hours after the store page went up, Nintendo took it down and issued a statement on Twitter announcing that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Special Edition would be made available for pre-order at a later date. At press time, it is unclear when the game will be made available again or for how long.

Pre-purchase of the Special Edition will be made available again at a later date. An update will be provided once that timing is determined.

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 9, 2022