2008 Woodie Awards
Demo Releases Not Just For Inferior Games
Good Game
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Focus
A notable trend in recent gaming history is the pronounced effort in offering beta invitations to gamers. Games such as "Halo 3," "Lost Planet," "Warhawk," and "Call Of Duty 4" all offered some form of multiplayer beta and went on to sell well. Getting into these betas is normally free, though it might be coupled with a game for promotional purposes - the "Halo 3" multiplayer beta code came packaged with the Xbox 360 game "Crackdown." For a high-profile and enormously anticipated title like "Halo," developers are able to instill interest for another product, though it is normally seen as an excuse to promote an otherwise-lackluster product (though this turned out not to be the case, since "Crackdown" received positive reviews).
This practice of offering gamers a glimpse of a prolific game used to come in another form: demo discs. Konami's "Zone of the Enders" came packaged with a demo for "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" while SquareEnix's "Dragon Quest VIII" came with a demo disc for "Final Fantasy XII." With the advent of internet gaming, demo discs are no longer a viable package deal since playable demos can be offered online either through Xbox Live or the Playstation Network. This explains the industry shift to offering gamers the opportunity to checking out a game early through multiplayer betas, but it also serves another more practical purpose: promotion. Word of mouth about a particular demo or positive feedback about a multiplayer beta could result in bigger sales for publishers the day a game launches. This buzz can pay off, and it can also serve to tide over eager consumers until launch.
The primary focus of a beta, however, is for testing purposes. Normally open to select individuals, it is the first version of software to be available for people that aren't developers. Most features are included in the beta version of something, and testers serve to designate bugs, glitches, or any faults in the game. Consumers are acting as free testers for developers, thus eliminating the costs of hiring trained beta testers. Beta testers still exist for one-player games, but with online multiplayer becoming common, the testing must be broadened so that developers are able to support players and deliver with minimal issues such as lag or bandwidth usage. The use of the term of "beta" has become looser due to its commonality now. Closed betas are for specific users, while open betas are normally open to the public.
This year, open betas have almost become a common option for developers to offer. Upcoming titles such as "Killzone 2," "Littlebigplanet," and "Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix" (the latter a beta only for the 360) all have plans to offer some sort of a beta. "Home," a social networking augmentation to the Playstation 3 interface in the same vein as "Second Life," is set to change from a closed to an open beta sometime soon, though information as to the timeframe is somewhat limited. "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" (MGS4) is set to offer a beta of the upcoming "Metal Gear Online" on April 21 for anyone who preordered MGS4 and picked up the free disc that is offered as a preorder bonus. The Nintendo Wii isn't capable of offering betas, but it's safe to presume that betas have replaced demo discs as the promotion for this console generation.
Contact Fernando Dutra at
Fernando.Dutra@UConn.edu.
This practice of offering gamers a glimpse of a prolific game used to come in another form: demo discs. Konami's "Zone of the Enders" came packaged with a demo for "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" while SquareEnix's "Dragon Quest VIII" came with a demo disc for "Final Fantasy XII." With the advent of internet gaming, demo discs are no longer a viable package deal since playable demos can be offered online either through Xbox Live or the Playstation Network. This explains the industry shift to offering gamers the opportunity to checking out a game early through multiplayer betas, but it also serves another more practical purpose: promotion. Word of mouth about a particular demo or positive feedback about a multiplayer beta could result in bigger sales for publishers the day a game launches. This buzz can pay off, and it can also serve to tide over eager consumers until launch.
The primary focus of a beta, however, is for testing purposes. Normally open to select individuals, it is the first version of software to be available for people that aren't developers. Most features are included in the beta version of something, and testers serve to designate bugs, glitches, or any faults in the game. Consumers are acting as free testers for developers, thus eliminating the costs of hiring trained beta testers. Beta testers still exist for one-player games, but with online multiplayer becoming common, the testing must be broadened so that developers are able to support players and deliver with minimal issues such as lag or bandwidth usage. The use of the term of "beta" has become looser due to its commonality now. Closed betas are for specific users, while open betas are normally open to the public.
This year, open betas have almost become a common option for developers to offer. Upcoming titles such as "Killzone 2," "Littlebigplanet," and "Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix" (the latter a beta only for the 360) all have plans to offer some sort of a beta. "Home," a social networking augmentation to the Playstation 3 interface in the same vein as "Second Life," is set to change from a closed to an open beta sometime soon, though information as to the timeframe is somewhat limited. "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" (MGS4) is set to offer a beta of the upcoming "Metal Gear Online" on April 21 for anyone who preordered MGS4 and picked up the free disc that is offered as a preorder bonus. The Nintendo Wii isn't capable of offering betas, but it's safe to presume that betas have replaced demo discs as the promotion for this console generation.
Contact Fernando Dutra at
Fernando.Dutra@UConn.edu.
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