Game betas: they aren’t supposed to be fun
Stardock President Brad Wardell has put up a post on his blog regarding the Demigod beta, during which he delivers an interesting piece on the state of PC betas at the moment. They’re “not supposed to be fun,” he says, “they’re supposed to be solving specific problems.”
Wardell also notes that Stardock makes sure that its beta releases follow this pattern:
Beta 1: Buggy/Sucky.
Beta 2: Less Buggy/Sucky.
Beta 3: Less Buggy/AWESOME
It’s an interesting take on the market at the moment; I can’t help but agree that betas are simply marketing tools, a demo with a different name. I appreciate a free game ahead of time, but I’d rather they used the beta to actually correct problems, instead of patching the game once it’s already out. Stardock, Valve, and other companies that release proper betas: we salute you!
