Apart from Code 73, gamers are also experiencing a high queue trying to log in which is pretty unusual. Such high queues are typically expected when the game is new and everyone is trying to get in, but for it to pop up now does seem a little odd. Blizzard has since acknowledged the issue but so far it is unclear as to how long it could take to get it back online.
According to a Blizzard Blue post, “Currently, we’re investigating an issue that is causing players to be unable to connect to our authentication and game servers. As soon as additional information becomes available, we’ll be sure to update you! Our Network Admins are on the case and investigating, and we hope to have this resolved shortly. Thank you for your patience!”
Prior to the recent outage, gamers have reported that they have experienced frequent disconnections from the game, to which Blizzard stated that this is a matter they are looking into, so we have to wonder if those server issues might have something to do with this recent outage, or if they are two separate incidents.
Update – According to a post by Blizzard, “Update (7:22pm PDT): All services and games are online and accepting players. Should you continue to encounter login issues, please create a new thread or contact Customer Support for assistance. Thanks!”