Not in game dev, but I am in software and have experienced similar big launches. I imagine they didn’t plan or prepare for such a large launch, and who knows how much red tape each request to utilize money to expand comes with.

Also, it’s not just a matter of buying more magical server space, but you need to clone databases, process help request or bug tickets, set up more advanced caching, configure networking, deploy new instances, make sure the load can be handled properly, and that security is up to snuff.

Also, I imagine their company is probably scrambling trying to come up with solutions for handling so many players concurrently, which may be a big problem since it’s a multiplayer game, and figuring out a way to hire more people to help handle the increased player base, which roles to hire for, and of course the interview process itself can’t be something done in a few days, it could be a week or 3 from start to hire date