And if the link is erased, read below..
(This is copied, not my article!)
Is Blizzard getting it wrong with the Diablo III beta test?
11 Oct 2011 at 15:28:39 by Paul Younger
Anticipation was high, the fans were going nuts.... the Diablo III beta. With the beta having been out now for a month, a small pool of testers are running and re-running the small amount of content that’s included in the beta. Players are busy seeing how big a ‘massacre’ they can unleash, how quick they can complete the beta, well, they are basically looking for things to do.
So has the Diablo III beta been a massive anti-climax? Some would argue, usually the players actually on the Beta, that it’s the best thing since sliced bread, but from talking to testers, many have opted to put the beta down after a couple of weeks of play and move on.
For the past fourteen years, Blizzard beta tests have set the community alight with excitement but there is something odd about this beta, it managed to achieve a huge level of hype just prior to release and then fizzle out leaving Diablo players feeling a little empty.
When Blizzard announced the game would be released early 2012, fans started to realise that the chances of actually getting into the test were slim because Blizzard are simply not adding enough testers to the pool on a weekly basis. All the Beta content had also been seen over and over thanks to the wonders of Youtube.
This is a test though right? Yes this is a beta test, not a game demo, even if it does feel like demo due to the length of the Beta. People who are actually testing the game have found some great bugs that Blizzard will be squashing as we speak, but where are the patches? It has been weeks since a patch was made to the launcher and Blizzard has already stated that they will only push out updates when there are updates to be done to the installer.
So what about the bugs? Are Blizzard not getting annoyed by seeing the same bug reports? Should testers not be testing fixes to the previously reported bugs? Well you would have thought so. This test is unusual in that there are no fixes being pushed live and the whole process seems to be an exercise in promotion, one that could be backfiring based on comments from the community who are slowly becoming rather apathetic towards the Diablo 3 Beta.
Blizzard has the opportunity to really fire up PC gamers with this Beta test but seem reluctant to do so now the game has been delayed. It appears there is still a lot of work to be done with the game, and while we don’t know what the development team are concentrating on at the moment because there is no information flowing, and there’s certainly not many straight answers to community questions, fans are being left in the dark.
If we look back at previous Blizzard beta tests, they have always run for a few months and received continual patches which helped keep interest alive and the community talking. It worked extremely well, but Diablo 3 appears to be a different beast with an emphasis on stress testing hardware/servers and not game mechanics. It can be perceived as more of a 'tech demo'. The development team must be feeling incredibly confident that they’re design decisions are what Diablo players want as they have already stated the Beta is not really for gameplay testing.
Was the Beta released too early due to pressure from fans , will Blizzard ramp up the testing pool enough and has the Beta test launch backfired?
It certainly looks Like the Beta test was announced too early if a Q1 release had already been decided on by Blizzard, four months is a long testing period based on the amount of content included in the Beta considering bug update fixes are few and far between.
Blizzard will ramp up the testing pool as we move closer, but purely to stress test, they are unlikely to be finding any new bugs in two months time if current testers are doing their jobs properly.
Has the test backfired? Well that’s a matter of opinion, but it appears to have had a negative effect on the fans who were at least hoping they had some chance of playing the game within a month of the test being announced. Right now fans feel frustrated and perhaps a little let down by the lack of feedback from Blizzard, and I don’t mean the community team feedback who more often than not talk in riddles, but the developers themselves.
With BlizzCon just around the corner, there will be a short flurry of activity as some real information on the state of the game is released by the development team , but it’s what happens after that which will determine if this Beta test is working for the players and Blizzard.
Every month we see beta tests start for all kinds of titles, and by all accounts they are great marketing tools which help build hype and anticipation, Diablo 3’s however is not having the same effect, it’s the exact opposite, and this appears to be purely down to bad planning, communication and timing. We have to remember though, if gamers can wait ten years for the sequel, they'll be quite happy to wait another four or five months, even if they are a little pissed off.
I'm not quite sure why people think a 4 month beta would be a long time, considering Blizzard said the beta would start 6 months before the game is released. However, with the amount of content in the Diablo III beta, it does seem a bit long to have it run 6 months and all you get is this small part of the game. I figured that eventually they would show us a bit more, but who knows now.
I'm just waiting until next weekend to see if anything is said at Blizzcon. *crosses fingers*
Good article. I feel similar to the way the author does about the marketing of this game.
I'm not getting more and more excited at this point. I'm just getting kind of apathetic toward D3 and I feel myself simply wanting to get over it now. And yes, I'll buy the game when it comes out still. But I'll buy it almost as an afterthought, not as a main priority of any kind.
I just think Blizzard has kind of abused their fans loyalty and jerked people around for too long. It's amusing and all in good fun to a point, but after awhile, their attitude just feels like, "Or aliens, I don't know, fuck you."
Well you have to remember a couple points;
i: Beta first and fore most is to test the game / systems in place
ii: The apex of the hype of the beta was that a launch is near, speculations as late as December and as early as November (inline with the Q4 schedule).
As such since the release date was confirmed tentatively for "Early next year", much of the "hype" died down as it was for a hard release date. That moment in my mind is the sole reason we are where we are, not really because of the Beta itself.
I still think Blizzard will have something up its sleeve for Blizzcon, as SC2: HotS, wasn't in my mind the theme for it.
If Blizzard was really expecting insane amounts of hype from an hour or two at most of gameplay, then yes, it has failed. However, I seriously doubt they're that naive. They've already stated that this isn't the most recent build of the game, so that explains the lack of bug fixes/damage updates.
The stated intent of the beta is to test servers. None of us can possibly know how well that is going, as none of us know how many people or how much time they need to do that. So only Blizzard knows if it has failed in that regard. Also, saying the hype is "dead" when our own beta contest clearly drew a lot of interest and there are probably thousands upon thousands of people signing up for the Facebook sweepstakes seems a little premature.
In my opinion, if Blizzard really wanted to have the kind of hype that surrounded, say SC2 or any other multiplayer beta, they would've included a PvP element. Thats not to say they won't in the future, especially seeing as Bashiok has said the content of the beta will change while also stating that Act II will not be included, but thats really the only way they could expect to have any lasting hype. I would bet that they are fully aware that people will get bored of under an hour of gameplay quickly.
Also, saying the hype is "dead" when our own beta contest clearly drew a lot of interest and there are probably thousands upon thousands of people signing up for the Facebook sweepstakes seems a little premature.
When I checked last night, the Beta Sweepstakes had over 1.3 million Likes. I'd say people are still interested.
I would also say that Blizzard doesn't need "hype" to sell games. Yes, the beta is a strong marketing tool, and of course they're going to utilize that as best they can. However, they also have a near flawless track record with games. Every game since Orcs and Humans has been a huge seller and a high quality product. Millions will buy Blizzard games simply because Blizzard made them. I certainly will.
Also, saying the hype is "dead" when our own beta contest clearly drew a lot of interest and there are probably thousands upon thousands of people signing up for the Facebook sweepstakes seems a little premature.
When I checked last night, the Beta Sweepstakes had over 1.3 million Likes. I'd say people are still interested.
I would also say that Blizzard doesn't need "hype" to sell games. Yes, the beta is a strong marketing tool, and of course they're going to utilize that as best they can. However, they also have a near flawless track record with games. Every game since Orcs and Humans has been a huge seller and a high quality product. Millions will buy Blizzard games simply because Blizzard made them. I certainly will.
I'm not sure... but I think you have Diablo and the Beta sweepstakes confused. I believe that "Diablo" has 1.3Million Likes. You forget how long it took for them to run their stupid promo to get Diablo to 1Million... doubt the sweepstakes would rise THAT fast.
I just think Blizzard has kind of abused their fans loyalty and jerked people around for too long. It's amusing and all in good fun to a point, but after awhile, their attitude just feels like, "Or aliens, I don't know, fuck you."
I think that the majority of fans, yourself included, have completely missed the point of the Diablo III beta, and have set your expectations regarding content of the beta and the likelihood of a beta invite so high as to virtually guarantee disappointment. I think this is what has happened.
Once Blizzard announces a release date, everyone who "lost interest" will be back for more.
Honestly it feels like a short demo, and a teaser just to keep the rabid dogs at bay. IF those were its purposes, then I would say "yes, it has backfired." After ten years time, a few measly hours and a magical level 13 hard cap with a CONGRATS YOU ROCKZORZ, BETA DEFEATED! Flashing on my screen after I down the first mini-boss... it's just not enough. I know the Blizzard employees are smart enough to know that it's not enough, but on the other hand, they never promised anything more.
That's the thing, when you work so hard as a company to be continuously cryptic and never get straight answers about ANYTHING until the absolute last possible minute, things like this will always happen. I've never had less than complete faith that Blizzard will make great games (And often awful patches), but they have never, ever learned the lesson of what a time table is, deadlines, etc. It's only because of their virtually endless resources that they can get away with this. Diablo III just proved to be a little bit of a different animal for them, because they have literally put off its release for over a decade. I don't know of any other game that transcends that sort of time frame.
Honestly, the delay is almost certainly not technically based, but about some aspect of their business as a whole. Fans have a right to be, and should be pissed about that, especially considering how ultimately unfulfilling the beta is. But as always, being treated like children by Blizzard, are only real option is to be pissed off and wait, or be pissed off and not buy the game. Just realize that they don't care either way.
This article is a great way to articulate the fans disappointment over the treatment thus far from Blizz and D3.
As Jackzor said - Bashiok has specifically stated that this Beta is for testing the servers, the installers - all the behind the scenes mechanics of this game. It is not a Beta test to flush out bugs and issues. Sure that's a nice bi-product of the Beta thus far - but again, they aren't patching this version of the game, because it has been stated by Blizz that they have an entirely different game client they patch with errors that are found in our Beta.
Blizz is holding this game as they continue to develop it. This Beta - imo - was a small morsel thrown out to the crowds to keep them interested. The real magic is the game they haven't shown you. The one that keeps getting fondled at Blizz HQ.
Also, saying the hype is "dead" when our own beta contest clearly drew a lot of interest and there are probably thousands upon thousands of people signing up for the Facebook sweepstakes seems a little premature.
When I checked last night, the Beta Sweepstakes had over 1.3 million Likes. I'd say people are still interested.
I would also say that Blizzard doesn't need "hype" to sell games. Yes, the beta is a strong marketing tool, and of course they're going to utilize that as best they can. However, they also have a near flawless track record with games. Every game since Orcs and Humans has been a huge seller and a high quality product. Millions will buy Blizzard games simply because Blizzard made them. I certainly will.
I'm not sure... but I think you have Diablo and the Beta sweepstakes confused. I believe that "Diablo" has 1.3Million Likes. You forget how long it took for them to run their stupid promo to get Diablo to 1Million... doubt the sweepstakes would rise THAT fast.
You are correct, Diablo has 1.3 million likes, not the sweepstakes. When signing up, you had to "Like" Diablo. I wonder what it was at before the sweepstakes started.
I wonder how many likes SWTOR or Skyrim has? I just checked. The Elder Scrolls has 363,726 likes. SWTOR has 423,692. I'd say there's still interest in Diablo III.
The hype is dead. To me personaly it began BEFORE the beta announcement and I feel the interest in Diablo 3 is slowly fading away.
The hype was there because it was in the back of fans minds that D3 could launch in as little as ~12 weeks. Now that it's not only another 6 months out, but that's in another 'year', even if that's just a number. So yes the hype has faded again. And when it's as close as say 2-3 months, with a hard release date, the hype will be back =D
I've watched all of Forces DIII Beta content and I am also surprised about how little content there is.. How much can they really test with such a small amount of content?
Really? Have you done no searches on this topic? Have you read nothing?
Diablo III Beta is NOT, I repeat, NOT for content testing. It is for testing the hardware and Battle.net infrastructure. For that, a small amount of the game is sufficient.
They could have people log into an empty room and fight a post over and over, and it would give them the data they need.
I am really surprised at the amount of negative posts and comments made towards this game in the last couple months and more recently since Beta was released.
All i read about is...
"Why does the beta suck so much???"
"OMG why push back the release???"
"Why the small amount of content available in the beta???"
"Ugh. I'm so bored with beta after 2 weeks of playing."
You all sound like a bunch of 5 year olds who can't get what you want.
Honestly I'm getting tired of reading about it all. And I know most will reply with a simple "then get off the forums."
Every other post is someone who is in the beta sending messages to those not in the beta. "You aren't missing much. This game sucks."
I'f you are that bored and displeased with the beta..what were you expecting? To be able to play through the entire game and have everything available to you at the start?
The gaming world went nuts when this game was announced 3 and a half years ago. Now the beta is released and now everyone is acting like they dont want the game anymore.
Those of you who are in the beta. How about appreciate the fact that you were invited to test it. And not still having to watch videos on Youtube. And as far as the "I'ts only 1-2 hours of content. Not worth it." comments...some of us work 40-50+ hours a week and that's as much game time we get per week. Not everyone is unemployeed and can sit on their ass all day and all night doing nothing.
So let's all cut the negative comments towards the game. Because everyone knows damn well that when the game comes out...everyone and I do mean everyone will be running up and down the street with extreme joy. (Or maybe that's jut me /shrug)
*Note* This post was not directed at any one person or post.
I'f you are that bored and displeased with the beta..what were you expecting? To be able to play through the entire game and have everything available to you at the start?
So let's all cut the negative comments towards the game. Because everyone knows damn well that when the game comes out...everyone and I do mean everyone will be running up and down the street with extreme joy. (Or maybe that's jut me /shrug)
*Note* This post was not directed at any one person or post.
I'll try to explain my disagreement with this post.
I believe that the greatest art form of the last 100 years is marketing. Practically everything a company does today is marketing, because of how accessible information is. The internet has grown to what it is because of marketing (see: google). Radio and TV exist only because marketing (ad revenue) pays for it.
So what's my point? Every piece of information about Diablo 3 is marketing for the game. It may be INTENDED for something else, but Blizzard's intentions don't matter to the population who hear only the information and not the intent.
One of the most important elements of marketing for an unreleased, high-demand product is managing expectations. That's right. It's the COMPANY's responsibility to manage their customers' expectations and desires through effective communication. [Edit] A great example of a company who manages expectations very well is Apple.
Simply put: If your customer base is generally unhappy (or worse, uncaring), you are doing something wrong. If a minority of your customer base is really angry, is extremely vocal about their anger, and you are not stopping that anger from spreading to otherwise satisfied customers, you are doing something wrong.
Bottom line, Blizzard has released a beta intended to test their back-end. Cool. If Blizzard does not ALSO recognize that this beta is a promotional tool, they are missing out on the greatest opportunity to promote their game, manage community expectations, and increase revenue. [Edit] A great example of a company who recently screwed up badly with their beta is EA: Battlefield 3. That beta did WAY more harm than good for the game, because EA didn't manage expectations.
Now to my personal opinion. I think we, the hardcore fans, live in a bubble. A tiny, tiny, diablo-obsessed bubble. The greater gaming population has only recently been reminded that Diablo 3 even exists. I've noticed the D3 beta news on n4g.com actually registering hot reads now (they were not up until beta was announced).
Also, it strikes me that the beta is so short, and people get bored with it quickly. That means more turnover, which means more users will get an opportunity to play the beta. I'm confident Blizzard knows damn well how to leverage the beta for both testing and promotion.
Still, Blizzard can always improve in the Marketing/PR department.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions."
-Thomas Jefferson
I am really surprised at the amount of negative posts and comments made towards this game in the last couple months and more recently since Beta was released.
All i read about is...
"Why does the beta suck so much???"
"OMG why push back the release???"
"Why the small amount of content available in the beta???"
"Ugh. I'm so bored with beta after 2 weeks of playing."
You all sound like a bunch of 5 year olds who can't get what you want.
*Note* This post was not directed at any one person or post.
i followed swtor since announcement only to boycott it now cus my country is a red zone for launch. following that was my first mistake.
x number of years ago i was trying to stream WWI08 for diablo announcement and then went crazy when it was finally announced.
Followed the game for years, making desktops from screenshots from the game.
Bought a new pc for D3.
Opted in.
WON and havent used WWI08 beta card until i got post saying FU u cant use it for D3.
Got a post saying no D3 facebook shit fou you cus your country sucks.
Well-typed post; this follows my sentiment exactly. I'll just add a few of my thoughts to the "pot".
<warning> the following is my opinion and based on nothing other than my own observations and thoughts </warning>
We are like a pack of rabid animals pacing outside Blizzards house, looking for the smallest scrap of info we can find. Blizzard was trying to ration it out to keep us from going crazy (or worse, becoming disinterested). Blizzard started to get nervous (maybe they knew for a while the game was going to be "pushed back" to 2012) and realized they were running out of content to give us (without spoiling too much of the game); so they threw out a "large" chunk hoping it would keep us occupied. Of course we took it all in even faster than expected. They were probably hoping it would hold out until Blizzcon when (hopefully :P) they will release another nice chunk to keep us occupied until release.
Too much on the metaphors? Probably, but I enjoyed typing it so, meh.
As an aside...I'm totally ignorant on this sort of thing; if they are testing servers and the like, as has been claimed, what's the harm in increasing the number of people playing the beta a few magnitudes? I fail to see what benefits of having such a small number of testers is.
EDIT: To answer the question of the OP, yes. I think Blizzard is getting it wrong with the D3 beta. They should increase the number of players (substantially, in my opinion...and yes so I have a better chance of getting it :P) or put in more content for the few that are playing.
Honestly it feels like a short demo, and a teaser just to keep the rabid dogs at bay. IF those were its purposes, then I would say "yes, it has backfired." After ten years time, a few measly hours and a magical level 13 hard cap with a CONGRATS YOU ROCKZORZ, BETA DEFEATED! Flashing on my screen after I down the first mini-boss... it's just not enough. I know the Blizzard employees are smart enough to know that it's not enough, but on the other hand, they never promised anything more.
That's the thing, when you work so hard as a company to be continuously cryptic and never get straight answers about ANYTHING until the absolute last possible minute, things like this will always happen. I've never had less than complete faith that Blizzard will make great games (And often awful patches), but they have never, ever learned the lesson of what a time table is, deadlines, etc. It's only because of their virtually endless resources that they can get away with this. Diablo III just proved to be a little bit of a different animal for them, because they have literally put off its release for over a decade. I don't know of any other game that transcends that sort of time frame.
Honestly, the delay is almost certainly not technically based, but about some aspect of their business as a whole. Fans have a right to be, and should be pissed about that, especially considering how ultimately unfulfilling the beta is. But as always, being treated like children by Blizzard, are only real option is to be pissed off and wait, or be pissed off and not buy the game. Just realize that they don't care either way.
The problem is that you misinterprated the purpose of the beta, which was cleary stated by Blizzard on any number of occasions before it even began.
They never advertised it or even hyped it as you described. If anything, the advent of beta was downplayed by Blizzard (although through fansites, such as DiabloFans, it is obviously our responsibility to hype it.) Remember all the fiscal meeting let-downs? Remember all those opportunities they had to talk beta and didn't? They didn't hype the beta. They didn't want to.
Seeing responses from fans everywhere, they didn't even have to. We created our own hype, our own unreachable goals for a two-hour session that was not maximized for enjoyment. I hesitate to even call it a demo, because calling it a demo would imply that they were hyping it as a demo. They weren't. It's a beta.
I could quote any number of direct Blizzard representative sources stating that the beta is a beta. No, it's not a demo. It's a beta. To test for bugs. To test infrastructure. It's not supposed to be a demo. Not a demo. Not. A. Demo.
This is why I think that article is pretty much pointless. I could see a reason for controversy if Blizzard had given us mixed messages, but they didn't. Anyone that's disappointed has only one person to blame: his or herself.
So, when you say that they're purposefully being cryptic, perish the thought. They clearly stated what beta would be long beforehand. They clearly stated that they can't give us a release date because they didn't know when it would be, but they did their best to give us a range because they felt an obligation to their fanbase. Would we have them lie? No, I think not, because then we'd have even more bullshit hitting the fan.
And if the link is erased, read below..
(This is copied, not my article!)
Is Blizzard getting it wrong with the Diablo III beta test?
11 Oct 2011 at 15:28:39 by Paul Younger
Anticipation was high, the fans were going nuts.... the Diablo III beta. With the beta having been out now for a month, a small pool of testers are running and re-running the small amount of content that’s included in the beta. Players are busy seeing how big a ‘massacre’ they can unleash, how quick they can complete the beta, well, they are basically looking for things to do.
So has the Diablo III beta been a massive anti-climax? Some would argue, usually the players actually on the Beta, that it’s the best thing since sliced bread, but from talking to testers, many have opted to put the beta down after a couple of weeks of play and move on.
For the past fourteen years, Blizzard beta tests have set the community alight with excitement but there is something odd about this beta, it managed to achieve a huge level of hype just prior to release and then fizzle out leaving Diablo players feeling a little empty.
When Blizzard announced the game would be released early 2012, fans started to realise that the chances of actually getting into the test were slim because Blizzard are simply not adding enough testers to the pool on a weekly basis. All the Beta content had also been seen over and over thanks to the wonders of Youtube.
This is a test though right? Yes this is a beta test, not a game demo, even if it does feel like demo due to the length of the Beta. People who are actually testing the game have found some great bugs that Blizzard will be squashing as we speak, but where are the patches? It has been weeks since a patch was made to the launcher and Blizzard has already stated that they will only push out updates when there are updates to be done to the installer.
So what about the bugs? Are Blizzard not getting annoyed by seeing the same bug reports? Should testers not be testing fixes to the previously reported bugs? Well you would have thought so. This test is unusual in that there are no fixes being pushed live and the whole process seems to be an exercise in promotion, one that could be backfiring based on comments from the community who are slowly becoming rather apathetic towards the Diablo 3 Beta.
Blizzard has the opportunity to really fire up PC gamers with this Beta test but seem reluctant to do so now the game has been delayed. It appears there is still a lot of work to be done with the game, and while we don’t know what the development team are concentrating on at the moment because there is no information flowing, and there’s certainly not many straight answers to community questions, fans are being left in the dark.
If we look back at previous Blizzard beta tests, they have always run for a few months and received continual patches which helped keep interest alive and the community talking. It worked extremely well, but Diablo 3 appears to be a different beast with an emphasis on stress testing hardware/servers and not game mechanics. It can be perceived as more of a 'tech demo'. The development team must be feeling incredibly confident that they’re design decisions are what Diablo players want as they have already stated the Beta is not really for gameplay testing.
Was the Beta released too early due to pressure from fans , will Blizzard ramp up the testing pool enough and has the Beta test launch backfired?
It certainly looks Like the Beta test was announced too early if a Q1 release had already been decided on by Blizzard, four months is a long testing period based on the amount of content included in the Beta considering bug update fixes are few and far between.
Blizzard will ramp up the testing pool as we move closer, but purely to stress test, they are unlikely to be finding any new bugs in two months time if current testers are doing their jobs properly.
Has the test backfired? Well that’s a matter of opinion, but it appears to have had a negative effect on the fans who were at least hoping they had some chance of playing the game within a month of the test being announced. Right now fans feel frustrated and perhaps a little let down by the lack of feedback from Blizzard, and I don’t mean the community team feedback who more often than not talk in riddles, but the developers themselves.
With BlizzCon just around the corner, there will be a short flurry of activity as some real information on the state of the game is released by the development team , but it’s what happens after that which will determine if this Beta test is working for the players and Blizzard.
Every month we see beta tests start for all kinds of titles, and by all accounts they are great marketing tools which help build hype and anticipation, Diablo 3’s however is not having the same effect, it’s the exact opposite, and this appears to be purely down to bad planning, communication and timing. We have to remember though, if gamers can wait ten years for the sequel, they'll be quite happy to wait another four or five months, even if they are a little pissed off.
Source: Link Above
:: Enkeria [Twitter / Twitch / Website / Tattoos]
I'm just waiting until next weekend to see if anything is said at Blizzcon. *crosses fingers*
I'm not getting more and more excited at this point. I'm just getting kind of apathetic toward D3 and I feel myself simply wanting to get over it now. And yes, I'll buy the game when it comes out still. But I'll buy it almost as an afterthought, not as a main priority of any kind.
I just think Blizzard has kind of abused their fans loyalty and jerked people around for too long. It's amusing and all in good fun to a point, but after awhile, their attitude just feels like, "Or aliens, I don't know, fuck you."
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
:: Enkeria [Twitter / Twitch / Website / Tattoos]
i: Beta first and fore most is to test the game / systems in place
ii: The apex of the hype of the beta was that a launch is near, speculations as late as December and as early as November (inline with the Q4 schedule).
As such since the release date was confirmed tentatively for "Early next year", much of the "hype" died down as it was for a hard release date. That moment in my mind is the sole reason we are where we are, not really because of the Beta itself.
I still think Blizzard will have something up its sleeve for Blizzcon, as SC2: HotS, wasn't in my mind the theme for it.
The stated intent of the beta is to test servers. None of us can possibly know how well that is going, as none of us know how many people or how much time they need to do that. So only Blizzard knows if it has failed in that regard. Also, saying the hype is "dead" when our own beta contest clearly drew a lot of interest and there are probably thousands upon thousands of people signing up for the Facebook sweepstakes seems a little premature.
In my opinion, if Blizzard really wanted to have the kind of hype that surrounded, say SC2 or any other multiplayer beta, they would've included a PvP element. Thats not to say they won't in the future, especially seeing as Bashiok has said the content of the beta will change while also stating that Act II will not be included, but thats really the only way they could expect to have any lasting hype. I would bet that they are fully aware that people will get bored of under an hour of gameplay quickly.
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When I checked last night, the Beta Sweepstakes had over 1.3 million Likes. I'd say people are still interested.
I would also say that Blizzard doesn't need "hype" to sell games. Yes, the beta is a strong marketing tool, and of course they're going to utilize that as best they can. However, they also have a near flawless track record with games. Every game since Orcs and Humans has been a huge seller and a high quality product. Millions will buy Blizzard games simply because Blizzard made them. I certainly will.
I'm not sure... but I think you have Diablo and the Beta sweepstakes confused. I believe that "Diablo" has 1.3Million Likes. You forget how long it took for them to run their stupid promo to get Diablo to 1Million... doubt the sweepstakes would rise THAT fast.
I think that the majority of fans, yourself included, have completely missed the point of the Diablo III beta, and have set your expectations regarding content of the beta and the likelihood of a beta invite so high as to virtually guarantee disappointment. I think this is what has happened.
Once Blizzard announces a release date, everyone who "lost interest" will be back for more.
That's the thing, when you work so hard as a company to be continuously cryptic and never get straight answers about ANYTHING until the absolute last possible minute, things like this will always happen. I've never had less than complete faith that Blizzard will make great games (And often awful patches), but they have never, ever learned the lesson of what a time table is, deadlines, etc. It's only because of their virtually endless resources that they can get away with this. Diablo III just proved to be a little bit of a different animal for them, because they have literally put off its release for over a decade. I don't know of any other game that transcends that sort of time frame.
Honestly, the delay is almost certainly not technically based, but about some aspect of their business as a whole. Fans have a right to be, and should be pissed about that, especially considering how ultimately unfulfilling the beta is. But as always, being treated like children by Blizzard, are only real option is to be pissed off and wait, or be pissed off and not buy the game. Just realize that they don't care either way.
As Jackzor said - Bashiok has specifically stated that this Beta is for testing the servers, the installers - all the behind the scenes mechanics of this game. It is not a Beta test to flush out bugs and issues. Sure that's a nice bi-product of the Beta thus far - but again, they aren't patching this version of the game, because it has been stated by Blizz that they have an entirely different game client they patch with errors that are found in our Beta.
Blizz is holding this game as they continue to develop it. This Beta - imo - was a small morsel thrown out to the crowds to keep them interested. The real magic is the game they haven't shown you. The one that keeps getting fondled at Blizz HQ.
Monkalicious: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/OptimusPrime-12194/hero/79139477
You are correct, Diablo has 1.3 million likes, not the sweepstakes. When signing up, you had to "Like" Diablo. I wonder what it was at before the sweepstakes started.
I wonder how many likes SWTOR or Skyrim has? I just checked. The Elder Scrolls has 363,726 likes. SWTOR has 423,692. I'd say there's still interest in Diablo III.
My second point still stands.
The hype was there because it was in the back of fans minds that D3 could launch in as little as ~12 weeks. Now that it's not only another 6 months out, but that's in another 'year', even if that's just a number. So yes the hype has faded again. And when it's as close as say 2-3 months, with a hard release date, the hype will be back =D
:: Enkeria [Twitter / Twitch / Website / Tattoos]
Really? Have you done no searches on this topic? Have you read nothing?
Diablo III Beta is NOT, I repeat, NOT for content testing. It is for testing the hardware and Battle.net infrastructure. For that, a small amount of the game is sufficient.
They could have people log into an empty room and fight a post over and over, and it would give them the data they need.
All i read about is...
"Why does the beta suck so much???"
"OMG why push back the release???"
"Why the small amount of content available in the beta???"
"Ugh. I'm so bored with beta after 2 weeks of playing."
You all sound like a bunch of 5 year olds who can't get what you want.
Honestly I'm getting tired of reading about it all. And I know most will reply with a simple "then get off the forums."
Every other post is someone who is in the beta sending messages to those not in the beta. "You aren't missing much. This game sucks."
I'f you are that bored and displeased with the beta..what were you expecting? To be able to play through the entire game and have everything available to you at the start?
The gaming world went nuts when this game was announced 3 and a half years ago. Now the beta is released and now everyone is acting like they dont want the game anymore.
Those of you who are in the beta. How about appreciate the fact that you were invited to test it. And not still having to watch videos on Youtube. And as far as the "I'ts only 1-2 hours of content. Not worth it." comments...some of us work 40-50+ hours a week and that's as much game time we get per week. Not everyone is unemployeed and can sit on their ass all day and all night doing nothing.
So let's all cut the negative comments towards the game. Because everyone knows damn well that when the game comes out...everyone and I do mean everyone will be running up and down the street with extreme joy. (Or maybe that's jut me /shrug)
*Note* This post was not directed at any one person or post.
I'll try to explain my disagreement with this post.
I believe that the greatest art form of the last 100 years is marketing. Practically everything a company does today is marketing, because of how accessible information is. The internet has grown to what it is because of marketing (see: google). Radio and TV exist only because marketing (ad revenue) pays for it.
So what's my point? Every piece of information about Diablo 3 is marketing for the game. It may be INTENDED for something else, but Blizzard's intentions don't matter to the population who hear only the information and not the intent.
One of the most important elements of marketing for an unreleased, high-demand product is managing expectations. That's right. It's the COMPANY's responsibility to manage their customers' expectations and desires through effective communication. [Edit] A great example of a company who manages expectations very well is Apple.
Simply put: If your customer base is generally unhappy (or worse, uncaring), you are doing something wrong. If a minority of your customer base is really angry, is extremely vocal about their anger, and you are not stopping that anger from spreading to otherwise satisfied customers, you are doing something wrong.
Bottom line, Blizzard has released a beta intended to test their back-end. Cool. If Blizzard does not ALSO recognize that this beta is a promotional tool, they are missing out on the greatest opportunity to promote their game, manage community expectations, and increase revenue. [Edit] A great example of a company who recently screwed up badly with their beta is EA: Battlefield 3. That beta did WAY more harm than good for the game, because EA didn't manage expectations.
Now to my personal opinion. I think we, the hardcore fans, live in a bubble. A tiny, tiny, diablo-obsessed bubble. The greater gaming population has only recently been reminded that Diablo 3 even exists. I've noticed the D3 beta news on n4g.com actually registering hot reads now (they were not up until beta was announced).
Also, it strikes me that the beta is so short, and people get bored with it quickly. That means more turnover, which means more users will get an opportunity to play the beta. I'm confident Blizzard knows damn well how to leverage the beta for both testing and promotion.
Still, Blizzard can always improve in the Marketing/PR department.
-Thomas Jefferson
i followed swtor since announcement only to boycott it now cus my country is a red zone for launch. following that was my first mistake.
x number of years ago i was trying to stream WWI08 for diablo announcement and then went crazy when it was finally announced.
Followed the game for years, making desktops from screenshots from the game.
Bought a new pc for D3.
Opted in.
WON and havent used WWI08 beta card until i got post saying FU u cant use it for D3.
Got a post saying no D3 facebook shit fou you cus your country sucks.
so am i pissed. no. this was mistake number 2.
fool me twice you cant get fooled again. - GWB
still buying the game tho
<warning> the following is my opinion and based on nothing other than my own observations and thoughts </warning>
We are like a pack of rabid animals pacing outside Blizzards house, looking for the smallest scrap of info we can find. Blizzard was trying to ration it out to keep us from going crazy (or worse, becoming disinterested). Blizzard started to get nervous (maybe they knew for a while the game was going to be "pushed back" to 2012) and realized they were running out of content to give us (without spoiling too much of the game); so they threw out a "large" chunk hoping it would keep us occupied. Of course we took it all in even faster than expected. They were probably hoping it would hold out until Blizzcon when (hopefully :P) they will release another nice chunk to keep us occupied until release.
Too much on the metaphors? Probably, but I enjoyed typing it so, meh.
As an aside...I'm totally ignorant on this sort of thing; if they are testing servers and the like, as has been claimed, what's the harm in increasing the number of people playing the beta a few magnitudes? I fail to see what benefits of having such a small number of testers is.
EDIT: To answer the question of the OP, yes. I think Blizzard is getting it wrong with the D3 beta. They should increase the number of players (substantially, in my opinion...and yes so I have a better chance of getting it :P) or put in more content for the few that are playing.
The problem is that you misinterprated the purpose of the beta, which was cleary stated by Blizzard on any number of occasions before it even began.
They never advertised it or even hyped it as you described. If anything, the advent of beta was downplayed by Blizzard (although through fansites, such as DiabloFans, it is obviously our responsibility to hype it.) Remember all the fiscal meeting let-downs? Remember all those opportunities they had to talk beta and didn't? They didn't hype the beta. They didn't want to.
Seeing responses from fans everywhere, they didn't even have to. We created our own hype, our own unreachable goals for a two-hour session that was not maximized for enjoyment. I hesitate to even call it a demo, because calling it a demo would imply that they were hyping it as a demo. They weren't. It's a beta.
I could quote any number of direct Blizzard representative sources stating that the beta is a beta. No, it's not a demo. It's a beta. To test for bugs. To test infrastructure. It's not supposed to be a demo. Not a demo. Not. A. Demo.
This is why I think that article is pretty much pointless. I could see a reason for controversy if Blizzard had given us mixed messages, but they didn't. Anyone that's disappointed has only one person to blame: his or herself.
So, when you say that they're purposefully being cryptic, perish the thought. They clearly stated what beta would be long beforehand. They clearly stated that they can't give us a release date because they didn't know when it would be, but they did their best to give us a range because they felt an obligation to their fanbase. Would we have them lie? No, I think not, because then we'd have even more bullshit hitting the fan.