The (recently extended) Destiny 2 beta has been the talk of the town lately. It’s been a divisive one around the PlayStation LifeStyle staff, as we’ve ran the whole gamut of being amazed by the opening story level to walking away rather unimpressed. While Bungie’s upcoming shooter may be the most high-profile beta, it’s hardly the only one currently running as Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 and Happy Dungeons have open betas currently running as well.
All of these ongoing betas got us thinking about if betas actually help game sales. It’s not uncommon to hear from someone that cancelled their pre-order after being unimpressed with a beta, and while they are used for fine-tuning & feedback purposes, there’s no denying that betas can be huge marketing tools when used correctly. That’s why the question we posed in this week’s Now Loading was “has a beta ever sold you on a game?”
Check out the gallery below to find out what the staff answered:
Now that you’ve seen our takes, we’d love to see what you think about game betas. Feel free to chime in below!
Got a suggestion for our next Now Loading? Let us know via email (or leave a comment below), and we might feature it next week with credit!
Now Loading is a weekly recurring feature where the PlayStation LifeStyle staff discusses anything video game-related ranging from hot topics to more whimsical subjects. Past editions can be found here.
Essential Reading:
Now Loading: Betas
-
Have Betas Sold You on a Game?
-
Cameron Teague
Betas usually turn me off of a game unless it's for a series I was already looking forward to. Evolve was a great example of a beta turning me off the game big time. However I also just don't get into a lot of betas. -
Chandler Wood
There's a huge difference between a beta and a demo. Often times a beta is more to help the developers make sure that tuning, matchmaking, and other various nasty bugs are all taken care of before launch. It doesn't represent the final game's experience in the same way that a demo would highlight. Betas are temporary whereas a demo would be an evergreen application. With this in mind, I don't like to let a beta be the go-no-go on whether I'll buy a game or not. I've often found that betas are a mere fraction of what the final game ends up being, as is the case with the Destiny 2 beta, which has no way to replicate things like the loot grind, player progression, and gameplay loop, not to mention the evolution that living, breathing online games go through. For that, I'll reserve my judgment for the full release. -
Mack Ashworth
I can think of only one beta that convinced me to pick up the full game, and that was for Gotham City Impostors. For the majority of games, I think betas work against them.
-
Michael Briers
Last time I really participated in a beta was for Evolve. I'd played a build of the game before at EGX and was curious to see how the shooter was coming together, but the lengthy load times and server troubles quickly cooled any excitement I had left. I get that it's not indicative of the final release, but I was never particularly invested in Evolve beforehand so its beta gave me the chance to reach a decision without shelling out any hard earned cash. -
Paulmichael Contreras
Generally, betas don't sell me on a game. It's mostly just an excuse to play a game that I might not buy otherwise. I played a handful of hours in the original Destiny beta, and felt that was enough for me. If I'm unsure about buying a game, I'll read reviews and watch videos of the game before making a decision -- betas are supposed to be tests for the developer's infrastructure, and so as the warnings always clearly state, the game's state at that point in time is not indicative of final quality at launch, so I take it as such.
-
Stephen Bitto
Betas typically do not change my mind about a game. Also, it's rare to go into a beta without knowing what to expect.The only game that I truly went in fresh and came away impressed was LittleBigPlanet. Not only was the game itself quite original but the idea of betas on console was somewhat fresh too. -
Tyler Treese
There haven't been a ton of betas that made me go from not interested to sold, but a few of them have increased my excitement for a game. Recently both the Splatoon 2 and ARMS betas both did just that. The inverse seems to happen more often than not, though, as games like Call of Duty: Black Ops III made my excitement drop considerably after getting a hold of them. Ultimately, it just comes down to the quality of the game. If the game is fun, inventive, and feels fresh then most of the time the beta will excite me. If it's more of the same, or dull, then I'll lose interest and move on.
-
Zarmena Khan
I don't really partake in beta tests but I did try the Destiny 1 beta. I found it terribly boring so it ended up helping me save my money.
