Using betas as marketing tools is 'disgusting', says Spec Ops dev

Spec Ops: The Line's lead designer Cory Davis has told GamerZines that he believes using betas as an "opportunity for marketing is absolutely disgusting", saying that the trend for the publishers to use them as marketing tools rather than getting "feedback from people that are going to play it" is "really disappointing".

[theonlylolking]

True to that. I wish all betas would be taken seriously. Not just demos to lure peeps in(I am looking at you halo).

[Xx Ziyad xX]

halo dont need marketing tools even its dont need ads just release the game and it will sell millions. so i think MAG use betas as marketing tools. if u say Halo use it

[mcnablejr]

it was crackdown who used halo to boost its sales.
Providing the reach beta with odst was just a way to distribute it, they knew it would have good sales.

the mag beta was purely for player feedback, and in no way was it used to boost sales.

[FragMnTagM]

but I loved Crackdown. I may have skipped the game had it not had the beta for Halo 3. Bungie did make quite a few tweaks to it after the beta. I don't think Halo belongs on the list. I had a blast playing the Halo 3 beta as well as the Reach beta. Bungie has stated that they have also changed several things since the Reach beta to make it more balanced.

Also, what about the unlucky people like myself that more often then not, do not get into private betas? The only betas I have been into that weren't public were PC betas.

[Seijoru]

Its not like MS is always shoving Halo down little tweeny throats every few seconds at the Mall, on TV, at the Movie Theater, etc.

[lastdual]

Bungie actually made changes based on community feedback from the beta (reticle bloom speed, grenade strength, player movement speed, jump height, ammo count and damage for certain weapons, melee speed and delay, HUD for objectives on certain game types, vehicle armor strength, and more...).

They made a TON of updates and improved the game. How is that a bad thing?

[theonlylolking]

Grenade strength change is the dumbest thing bungie changed from the beta. Grenades are supposed to kill. Whats a point of a grenade if it usually never takes out there shield?

[FragMnTagM]

They just will not be so powerful so that is all anyone uses.

[spacetattoo]

Sounds like he's butt hurt

[Perjoss]

correct me if I'm wrong, but if they said company / devs listen to feedback from the beta and make a few tweaks based on the feedback how is it disgusting? does not happen enough imo.

[fcpthebest]

Imo the changes only closed the gap between reach and halo 3.

But its true, most betas never change anything.

[Nate-Dog]

I agree with him but at the same time betas are always going to gain publicity. I know he means that when the main objective of a beta is for advertisement is when it's wrong, but it's always going to be one of the main reasons for a beta being released.

Apart from the really, really private betas that are handed out to very few people.

[branchedout]

Public Betas that don't change much to the end game are good for server stress tests, though.

You'll have lots of people playing the game-ish for free. Lots of people on the server.

So they'll know whether or not they need to add more machines or take some away, to optimize cost of running the servers.

But that's just my limited knowledge. I've researched none of this and it's merely speculation.

[BoneIdle]

I cant think of 1 single Beta that didnt have a possitive effect on the game, if it is to tweak a few last minute game play ideas or to fix the last few bugs or even as Branchedout said to test the servers with a good lot of people.

[MiloGarret]

100 billion dollars says Spec Ops: The Line will have a glitchy and bug-filled multiplayer while all these "disgusting" devs he's not so subtly referring to will provide much better experiences.

He's just mad no one cares about their game.

[suckerpunch]

is disgusting

[galgor]

*pukes*

[Double_Oh_Snap]

http://n4g.com/news/593501/... :)

[MasterD919]

So this is probably geared towards Medal Of Honor or Battlefield...

I couldn't really care less.

Maybe Spec Ops should have had a beta so it would have been better....Marketing or no marketing that game is on no-ones radar.

Beta's work just like Demo's. End of story.

[Double_Oh_Snap]

http://www.dailymotion.com/... there is actually a beta just a closed invite only one but you are right

[Shuklar]

What's more disgusting is that these game devs and publishers earn more than school teachers, doctors, and nurses...you know...people who actually help advance humanity.

This guy needs to get his head out of his ass.

[kanetheking]

then a ceo? who spent many years of hes life to get there.and it maybe should be the government that give the teacher's nurses more money.

what i find more disgusting is ppl like you that only think of money. maybe the ppl are happy doing what they do and not really care about money like doctors should be more about saving ppl then how much money there making.

[Shuklar]

You don't need to do 8+ years of university to become a CEO like you do a doctor. CEO's are the scum of the earth. They don't even answer their own calls or emails, and they earn an employee's annual salary on a daily basis. Of course there's always the exception, yet that's usually because they're working their way up to that point.

[agent_id]

:)

[spacetattoo]

sounds like some one is butt hurt